what is "futurism"

Ah - Futurism per se hasn't been mentioned yet, Peter , but now you come to mention it:
http://www.futurism.org.uk/

(It's an art movement with political aspects, for those who can't be bothered with clicking the link)

Argh - does this mean that we shouldn't talk about people like Alvin Toffler and Buckminster Fuller as "futurists" (or rather "Futurists") ?

I think "futurology" (a proponent of which would be a "futurologist"), as first mentioned by tsuwm, is something different again. More of a pseudo-science, but with the central tenet that it deals with future possibilities based on current trends.