Seeing into the Future

Download or read book Seeing into the Future written by Martin van Creveld and published by Reaktion Books. This book was released on 2020-09-07 with total page 297 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The ability to predict the future is essential to modern life. Planning for population growth or changes in weather patterns or forecasting demand for products and managing inventories would be impossible without it. But how have people through the ages gone about making predictions? What were their underlying assumptions, and what methods did they use? Have increased computer power and the newest algorithms improved our success in anticipating the future, or are we still only as good (or as bad) as our ancestors bent over their auguries? From the ancients watching the flight of birds to the murky activities of Google and Facebook today, Seeing into the Future provides vital insight into the past, present, and—of course—future of prediction.