Do We Think Too Much About the Future?

"“frequently referred to the fact that the Fall was to be expected in the coming year,” and even suggested that God was accelerating the timetable as a favor to the chosen, with “almost all of the new century . . . pressed into the space of one decade.”"

"“The time has come to call upon each to realize his own destiny,” Robespierre said. “The progress of human Reason laid the basis for this great Revolution, and you shall now assume the particular duty of hastening its pace.”"

"“If you had lived in the early decades of the sixteenth century, how would you have thought about the future? Presumably, you would have considered it in everyday terms: you would have wondered whether it would rain tomorrow, speculated about what might happen in your town over the summer, and hoped to get married someday.”"

In the early sixteenth century, people often thought about the future through everyday concerns like weather, local events, and personal plans. Many also assumed that the end of the world was approaching, treating major religious upheavals as urgent and tied to an expected timeline. Martin Luther frequently referenced the expectation of the Fall in the coming year and suggested that God was accelerating the timetable for the chosen. For practical work such as planting and harvesting, there was still a manageable future to consider. By 1793, revolutionary leaders framed the future differently, presenting history as just beginning and calling people to hasten the pace of human Reason.

Read at The New Yorker