Buddhist metaphors of the future: philosophical analysis in the context of futurology
https://doi.org/10.53315/2782-3377-2025-5-4-109-121
Abstract
This article is devoted to a philosophical analysis of Buddhist metaphors of the future in the context of global studies and futurology. The Buddhist tradition forms a special corpus of images — the flow, the moment, the wheel of samsara, emptiness, the field of karma, Buddha Maitreya — which set a nonlinear and multiple vision of time. These images are cognitive models that allow us to view the future not as a linear given, but as a field of possibilities and ethically charged scenarios. The methodological basis of the study was formed by the theory of conceptual metaphor (G. Lakoff, M. Johnson), P. Ricoeur’s hermeneutic approach, and a comparative analysis of Buddhist ideas in contrast to Western philosophy of time and contemporary globalist models (E. Bloch, H. Jonas, I. Prigogine, reports of the Club of Rome). The consideration of Buddhist metaphors of the future also makes it possible to reveal the features of the Eurasian nomadic worldview, in which temporal and cosmological concepts are closely connected with the idea of continuous movement, cyclicality, and the interdependence of all existence. The study demonstrates that Buddhist images of time and the future have considerable heuristic potential: they broaden futurology beyond linear scenarios, show the inclusion of ethical considerations in forecasting, conceptualize the future as practice rather than mere prediction, and account for cosmological time scales of human existence. Thus, Buddhist metaphors of the future can serve as cognitive tools for philosophical reflection and future-oriented design in the context of a global intercultural perspective.
Keywords
About the Author
V. V. Vorobyev
Kalmyk State University named after B.B. Gorodovikov
Россия
Россия
Valery V. Vorobyev, Ph.D., senior research scientist
Elista
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For citations:
Vorobyev V.V. Buddhist metaphors of the future: philosophical analysis in the context of futurology. Nomadic civilization: historical research. 2025;5(4):109-121. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.53315/2782-3377-2025-5-4-109-121
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