A new book by Media Professor John Potts explores how fear of the future has shaped humanity from ancient times to today, yet has always coexisted with a thread of hope.

Since early human societies, people have worried about what lies ahead. Ancient fears were tied to survival—concerns about rain and food scarcity. Over time, predictions of doom became religious, with ancient prophecies of apocalypse or End Times, like those in medieval Europe, which expected the world to end in the years 1000, 1033, and beyond.

Religions once fueled these fears, which ultimately proved unfounded. Today, however, the threat of climate change brings a future that feels perilously close, creating what some call “ecophobia.” Unlike past prophecies, climate predictions are scientifically grounded, revealing how unchecked emissions risk catastrophic outcomes. This fear has evolved into a rigorous academic discipline, “futurology,” which studies risks like pandemics, nuclear conflict, and AI.

Modern anxieties

The modern era’s anxieties echo earlier times. Medieval Europe feared the Apocalypse; later, the Enlightenment promised salvation through reason and science. But even as technology advanced in the 19th century, fears persisted, as novels like Frankenstein and 1984 depicted bleak futures dominated by technology gone awry.

The Cold War brought new fears of nuclear disaster, a risk that continues, while Silicon Valley’s optimism around AI and automation is now mixed with concerns over technology’s power. While today’s digital age offers hope, anxiety about AI’s impact is widespread.

Throughout history, hope and fear have been interwoven. Technology and scientific progress have occasionally led people to view the future with optimism, but fear has often dominated. Climate science today reflects this mix: while there’s cause for alarm, reports from groups like the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change offer hope that if we act now, the worst can still be prevented.