Introduction: Cultural and Psychological Roots of Futurism in Iran The geographical and political situations of Iran, especially in recent centuries have been such that “knowing the future” has been a necessity for both ordinary citizens and their rulers. Iran has always been under the shadow of foreign powers’ invasion or internal uprisings. 1 So having a gen- eral view of the future at all times has been an at- tractive social matter. On the other hand, inde- pendent studies of Iranian civilization show that religion has been a strong driving force in shap- ing the culture and even the psychology of Iranians. From historical and religious points of view, there are significant backgrounds for futurism in Iranian civilization. For instance, around 3,000 years ago the religious teachings of Zoroaster, fa- ther of ancient Persian religion, embraced a doc- trine of futurism in the shape of hope for a final redeemer called: “Soshiant” or “The Promised One” who would guide later generations to light and justice. This same hope can be found in sub- sequent religions such as Judaism, Christianity or Islam, which all contributed in their ways to Iranian moral beliefs. So having a hopeful per- spective about the future and waiting eagerly for the coming of a “Soshiant,” “Messiah,” “Christ” or “Mahdi” has been integral to the historical and religious dimensions of Iranian society for over three millennia. The prominence of Islam during the last 10 centuries provided new trends of futurism in Iranian society, which crystallized mainly in the form of a new understanding of Islamic teachings called “Sufism.” The basic idea of Iranian Sufis was to concentrate on knowing the most High and Supreme Source of being rather than remain- ing occupied with debating Islamic doctrine and rules (Shariah). Sufis eagerly sought a higher understanding of Islamic doctrines relating to the future of theo- logical knowledge and the future quality of hu- man lives. Their new ideology grasped the atten- tion of Iranian thinkers including well-known poets such as “Attar” and “Molana” who became famous for the mystic ideas portrayed in their poems. Attar (c. 1146-1220) described the important futuristic theme of “vision building” in a spiritual way in his book “Manteq-o-teyr” or “The Logic of Flight.” Here he tells the story of a hoopoe bird whose dream was to reach a mountain called “Qaf” and find the great king of birds called “Simorq” or “30 Birds.” The hoopoe convinces all the birds of the earth to form a group and seek Simorq together. They face many difficulties in their travels, and by the time they at last reach Qaf Mountain, only 30 birds remain alive. They finally Futures Studies in Iran: The Past and the Future by Alireza Hejazi Alireza Hejazi is an Iranian futurist and thinker who has established FuturesDiscovery.com to meet the Iranian academic society’s needs in futures studies knowledge and information. He is the author of the e-books Futures Discovery and ATLAS of Futures Links. World Future Review April-May 2010 23