Remote Viewing the Future with Stephan A. Schwartz

Summary

Stephan A. Schwartz describes a remote-viewing project he conducted from 1978 to 1996 to explore what life might be like in 2050. The project began amid Cold War fears of nuclear conflict. Schwartz chose 2050 partly because he believed that looking much farther ahead might produce descriptions too unfamiliar for people in the present to interpret.

Methodology

• Schwartz invited people at conferences and workshops in several countries to take part. Participants included scientists, engineers, government workers, doctors, and others; they were not selected for presumed remote-viewing ability.
• He used a consensus approach: collect many individual accounts and look for recurring patterns, while recognizing that individual reports could be incomplete or mistaken.
• Viewers were asked to imagine themselves at the same calendar date in 2050 and describe places and activities such as where they slept, prepared or stored food, worked, obtained goods, received healthcare, and traveled locally.
• Prompts were deliberately phrased to avoid suggesting specific answers—for example, “the place where you sleep” rather than “your house.”
• Schwartz transcribed the reports, divided descriptions into individual concepts, and used computer analysis to identify recurring themes.
• Some participants said they would not be incarnate in 2050. Schwartz then asked them to view the future through the perspective of someone with whom they felt empathy.

Reported Findings and Themes

Schwartz says that strong consensus patterns emerged, and that many matched later developments or trends. These are presented as his interpretation of the remote-viewing data, not as independently verified predictions.

• Geopolitics and security: Viewers reportedly described the Soviet Union as having disappeared and religious terrorism as a major 21st-century danger. They did not predict a nuclear war, though they described the world as more dangerous.
• Disease: Accounts included a blood disease crossing from primates to humans in Africa and spreading widely. Schwartz later associated this description with AIDS, whose first reports appeared in 1981. Other reports described antibiotics becoming ineffective, which he connected to the current concern over antibiotic resistance.
• Climate, water, and settlement: Viewers described climate change as a major issue, some areas requiring domes, severe heat and water problems, and parts of Florida underwater. Schwartz said the project led him to focus on the importance of water in shaping the future.
• Energy and transport: Some accounts described reduced use of carbon-based energy and a power source that produced more energy than it consumed. Schwartz connected this to low-energy nuclear reactions (LENR), sometimes called cold fusion, while noting the field is controversial. Viewers also described modular vehicles made from a chassis, interchangeable body, and separate power unit.
• Travel and communication: Reports suggested that emissions could restrict air travel and that people might meet through an electronic, immersive environment resembling virtual reality rather than travel physically.
• Social and political change: Schwartz said accounts described greater gender and marriage equality and a broader redefinition of gender identity. They also portrayed political authority shifting toward states and bioregions, while corporations gained substantial influence over governments.
• Identity and payment: Viewers reportedly described cash becoming uncommon and people using an identity card containing biometric and other personal information, including information that could change over a person’s life.
• Drugs: Schwartz recalled reports that marijuana would be legal and sold in stores.

The project influenced Schwartz’s later interest in monitoring trends affecting the future, including through his Schwartz Report. He and Jeffrey Mishlove also discuss whether a similar study could be repeated for a different year or with a blind protocol to reduce the influence of prior knowledge.

Researchers and Sources Featured

• Stephan A. Schwartz — remote-viewing researcher and creator of the 2050 project.
• Jeffrey Mishlove — psychologist and interviewer.
• National Institutes of Health (NIH) — Schwartz recounts asking an unnamed hematologist there about a disease crossing from primates to humans.
• SRI — cited by Schwartz regarding reported progress in LENR research.
• Mitsubishi — also cited regarding reported progress in LENR research.
• American Scientist — Schwartz recalls reading a July 1981 article on ice coring and climate change.
• Remote-viewing participants — a diverse, unnamed group recruited through workshops and conferences.