Hi Ross,
Thank you for commenting on my essay. I agree with you that if people don't have basic literacy and numeracy, it's hopeless to think they can acquire "future-literacy" through a futurocentric education initiative. But, at least in the case of numeracy, maybe the acquiring of numeracy can be motivated by a futurocentric goal. In today's schools, a lot of students don't see the need for mathematics beyond basic arithmetic, and even then, pocket calculators are ubiquitous... Maybe we can be more successful if we convince students that it is important to be mathematically literate in order to take part in a reasoned discussion about the future: for instance, thinking seriously about the future is likely to benefit from the knowledge of the properties of the exponential function, or of basic notions in probability and statistics.
To make room for futurocentric topics in the curriculum, we will have to rethink certain priorities: for instance, in math class, we put a lot of emphasis on more or less "robotic" procedures to solve certain type or problems, but far less on the formulation of interesting questions that can be tackled by mathematics, or on the interpretation of the results of a computation. In the near future, powerful mathematical software like Wolfram Alpha (a free web-based resource) will be as ubiquitous as pocket calculators, and this could free valuable time for more meaningful learning objectives (see, for instance, the work done by Conrad Wolfram's team at computerbasemath.org).
Your are also right to worry about the potential ideological conflicts that could arise from certain elements of the futurocentric curriculum, for example, the "rich-poor gap". The basic futurocentric curriculum should start by presenting the basic facts that are not very controversial --- for instance, the very fact that the gap between the rich and the poor is increasing, without diving right away in the causes of the phenomenon or what should be done about it (see, for instance, the Wikipedia entry "Great Divergence"). A healthy debate could then be initiated, and everyone would benefit if a certain level of civility can be maintained. But, we can foresee that it will not always be easy!
Over the next few years, I certainly plan to experiment a few futurocentric modules with my students (I teach introductory physics to 18 and 19 year old students who plan to pursue a career in various STEM fields), and I hope that many parallel endeavours (and fruitful collaborations) will take place across the Interwebs!
I will certainly read your essay and comment it on your forum, and I will make sure to rate it when all the essays are in and my "grading curve" is ready!
Marc