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PREDICTIONS – 10 Years Later - Santa Fe Institute

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9<br />

Reaching the Ceiling Everywhere<br />

The first thing physicists do after collecting data is to observe them even<br />

before any attempt to analyze or understand them. A great many hidden<br />

truths can be inferred, guessed, or at least suggested by just looking at<br />

the very first simple representation of the data collected. The usefulness<br />

of such an approach in everyday life is often underestimated. The successful<br />

repair of a machine or other piece of equipment that has broken<br />

down often consists of little more than a thorough inspection.<br />

Let us observe, then, the data we have accumulated so far in this<br />

book. We have seen man-made objects grow in size, quantity, or market<br />

share along S-curves to eventually reach their saturation level. These<br />

curves represent natural-growth processes and thus can be extrapolated<br />

to time periods for which no data exist. Moreover, we have also seen a<br />

fifty-six-year pulsation modulating many human activities and, in particular,<br />

the evolution of the economy. What can we learn by a thorough<br />

inspection of all these data? Can their understanding and interpretation<br />

be of any practical use in evaluating past trends and predicting future<br />

ones? I believe they can. Natural-growth processes, such as the construction<br />

of highways and the use of automobiles, along with their<br />

relationship to the fifty-six-cycle, can demystify a major worldwide<br />

economic recession.<br />

199

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