Hi, there's always more to be said but there are some great answers related to this question in the part of our FAQ that deals with Futurism, including:
/u/restricteddata on At what point did technological progress come to be viewed as inherent in our society? ,
/u/publiusclodius on Did the Romans have a concept of the future for humanity? If so, what was it like?; and
/u/sunagainstgold on How did people in the middle ages view the (distant) future of the world they lived in?.
Do you mean In a philosophical sense, like when did people consider a future broader than their own family/group that stretched beyond the next crop cycle or generation?