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Fred Polak

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226:, an impressive cultural-historic study of the relation between imagined futures and the dynamics of culture. He was an original thinker, but his work was remarkably uneven: his encyclopaedic and erudite style has led to both very deep and very shallow analyses. Especially his earlier contributions in the 1950s and 1960s still prove a very valuable resource, although many of his ideas should be handled with care. However, his later works in the 1970s are out of tune with the rise of a more critical approach to the study of the future." 25: 209:. He was the founder and first president of Teleac (Dutch television academy), co-founder and vice-president of the Erasmus Prize Foundation, and scientific advisor for long-term planning to numerous concerns in the Netherlands. He was engaged in setting up an institute for long-term future research and development in the Netherlands and was also Secretary-General of the 115: 221:
A 2005 article by Ruud van der Helm states: "Among the founders of the futures studies field, the Dutch sociologist Fred Polak is one of the least known. Although he is still mentioned by several renowned futurists, very little has been written about the evolution of Polak’s ideas and as far as we
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After the war he became a staff member and managing director of the Netherlands' Central Planning Bureau, personal advisor to the Minister of Education (Art and Science), advisor of the Dutch government for Full Employment, Professor of Sociology at
161:, was a member of the Board of Directors of a large chain of stores in the Netherlands. In 1936 he married the poet Louise Moor. As a Jew, Polak spent the war years in hiding and preparing a PhD thesis in philosophy. 189:
Polak graduated cum laude in philosophy in 1946, and since his thesis and inaugural address in 1947 on the evolution of science and society of tomorrow, devoted himself continuously to the future of man and society.
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have been able to trace back, no retrospective work has been published. Today, Polak is mostly known for his opus magnum
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Van der Helm, R., The Future According to Frederik Lodewijk Polak: Finding the Roots of Contemporary Futures Studies,
141:, perhaps best known in the field for theorising the central role of imagined alternative futures in his classic work 358: 72: 50: 338: 79: 288:
Wereldvrede blijft. Hoe Goliath door David met een ultraklein wapen opnieuw kan worden geveld (Baarn, 1983)
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De toekomst is verleden tijd (Utrecht, 1955), translated into Engels as 'The Image of the Future'(1973)
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Prognostics: a science in the making surveys and creates the future. (Amsterdam, New York, 1971)
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Vermetelste uitdaging. Leeft de Nieuwe Hemel in harmonie met God? (Alphen aan den Rijn, 1979)
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De wentelgang der wetenschap en de maatschappij van morgen (inaugurele rede Rotterdam, 1948)
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Author of many publications on futurology, Polak was recipient of Fellowships from
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Polak was the son of Alexander Polak, violin builder and concertmaster of the
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Slow-motion mens. Een dier gedoemd tot uitsterven? (Amsterdam/Brussel, 1977)
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Kennen en keuren in de sociale wetenschappen (dissertatie Rotterdam, 1947)
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Morgen is anders. De wedloop tussen mensen en kunst-mensen (Baarn, 1985)
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Het hoger onderwijs: op de helling of op een hellend vlak? (1961)
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and Managing Director of an industrial organization at Twente (
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Directors of the Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis
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and later became a cofounder of the political party
205:which awarded him a prize for the two-volume book 320: 276:De contraclub van Rome (Amsterdam/Brussel, 1972) 176:Polak was a Senator for the (Social-Democratic) 211:International Society for Technology Assessment 399:Academic staff of Erasmus University Rotterdam 266:Prognostica. One volume edition. (edited by 51:introducing citations to additional sources 279:Lof der botheid (Amsterdam/Brussel, 1973) 263:Prognostica. Two Volumes (Deventer, 1968) 229: 113: 41:Relevant discussion may be found on the 369:Labour Party (Netherlands) politicians 321: 312:37(2005) 505-519 (Elsevier Publishers) 251:Hoopvolle toekomstperspectieven (1957) 374:Democratic Socialists '70 politicians 260:Hoe veroveren wij de toekomst? (1965) 254:De nieuwe wereld der automatie (1958) 18: 379:Members of the Senate (Netherlands) 13: 14: 415: 148: 34:relies largely or entirely on a 23: 394:University of Amsterdam alumni 302: 1: 389:Businesspeople from Amsterdam 295: 216: 167:Erasmus University Rotterdam 7: 10: 420: 354:Dutch corporate directors 359:Jewish Dutch politicians 129:– 17 September 1985, in 237:The Image of the Future 224:The Image of the Future 207:The Image of the Future 155:Concertgebouw Orchestra 143:The Image of the Future 123:Frederik Lodewijk Polak 119: 230:Selected publications 117: 339:Dutch civil servants 137:founding fathers of 47:improve this article 344:Dutch sociologists 120: 16:Dutch futurologist 364:Jewish socialists 203:Council of Europe 133:) was one of the 125:(21 May 1907, in 118:Fred Polak (1970) 112: 111: 97: 411: 313: 306: 159:Second World War 107: 104: 98: 96: 55: 27: 19: 419: 418: 414: 413: 412: 410: 409: 408: 319: 318: 317: 316: 307: 303: 298: 268:Henri van Praag 232: 219: 199:Ford Foundation 151: 139:futures studies 108: 102: 99: 56: 54: 40: 28: 17: 12: 11: 5: 417: 407: 406: 401: 396: 391: 386: 381: 376: 371: 366: 361: 356: 351: 346: 341: 336: 331: 315: 314: 300: 299: 297: 294: 293: 292: 289: 286: 283: 280: 277: 274: 271: 264: 261: 258: 255: 252: 249: 246: 243: 240: 231: 228: 218: 215: 150: 147: 110: 109: 103:September 2020 45:. Please help 31: 29: 22: 15: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 416: 405: 402: 400: 397: 395: 392: 390: 387: 385: 384:Futurologists 382: 380: 377: 375: 372: 370: 367: 365: 362: 360: 357: 355: 352: 350: 347: 345: 342: 340: 337: 335: 332: 330: 327: 326: 324: 311: 305: 301: 290: 287: 284: 281: 278: 275: 272: 269: 265: 262: 259: 256: 253: 250: 247: 244: 241: 239: 238: 234: 233: 227: 225: 214: 212: 208: 204: 200: 196: 191: 187: 186: 183: 179: 174: 172: 168: 162: 160: 156: 149:Life and work 146: 144: 140: 136: 132: 128: 124: 116: 106: 95: 92: 88: 85: 81: 78: 74: 71: 67: 64: –  63: 59: 58:Find sources: 52: 48: 44: 38: 37: 36:single source 32:This article 30: 26: 21: 20: 309: 304: 236: 223: 220: 206: 192: 188: 178:Labour Party 175: 163: 152: 142: 122: 121: 100: 90: 83: 76: 69: 62:"Fred Polak" 57: 33: 334:1985 deaths 329:1907 births 171:Netherlands 349:Dutch Jews 323:Categories 296:References 201:, and the 73:newspapers 217:Reception 131:Wassenaar 127:Amsterdam 43:talk page 310:Futures 87:scholar 197:, the 195:UNESCO 89:  82:  75:  68:  60:  135:Dutch 94:JSTOR 80:books 182:DS70 66:news 173:). 145:. 49:by 325:: 213:. 270:) 184:. 105:) 101:( 91:· 84:· 77:· 70:· 53:. 39:.

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