1991, 144 pages, ISBN: 0-275-93897-2
Published by Praeger Publishers

Written by sociologist Frank W. Elwell Chairman of the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work at Murray State University. Rather than relying on simple trend analysis, the book critiques futurism from the standpoint of cultural materialism, a contemporary theory rooted in social ecology/evolutionary theory. The book includes:

• A revision of Cultural Materialism a systems theory that attempts to account for the origin, maintenance, and change of society.
• The social evolutionary process supported by the latest research and supplemented with case studies and illustrations.
• The role of elites discussing the nature and extent of their power in determining future social evolution.
• The politics of the future examining the clash between the technological and ecological worldviews.
• Environmental limits clarifying the empirical and theoretical underpinnings to the debate.
• A critique of postindustrialists including the popular utopian works of Toeffler, Naisbitt and other optimists.
• The new totalitarianism an update on the dystopia as envisioned by Huxley, Heilbroner, and others.