May 6, 2013

Today’s Big Idea: Predicting the Future

In today’s ever-changing and highly volatile world we have no shortage of predictions. What we do have is an accountability shortage.

bigthinkeditor

In today’s ever-changing and highly volatile world we have no shortage of predictions. What we do have is an accountability shortage.

In today’s lesson, Big Think Chief Economist Daniel Altman holds himself accountable by comparing what he predicted a few years ago in his book Outrageous Fortunes to what we are experiencing today. As it turns out, Altman’s long-range predictions are looking pretty good. However, the ultimate significance of this, as Altman points out, is not just how good his prediction scorecard looks, but what kind of economic opportunities might exist across the globe.

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7 min

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with

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Up Next

Tracking My Own Predictions

Daniel Altman offered predictions for what the global economy would look like 10, 20, 40 years down the road. How did he do with these predictions and what does it mean for economic opportunity around the world?