Speculation: A Cultural History from Aristotle to AI

by Gayle Rogers

In the modern world, why do we still resort to speculation? Advances in scientific and statistical reasoning are supposed to have provided greater certainty in making claims about the future. Yet we constantly spin out scenarios about tomorrow, for ourselves or for entire societies, with flimsy or no evidence. Insubstantial speculations--from utopian thinking to high-risk stock gambles--often provoke fierce backlash, even when they prove prophetic...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0231200218
• ISBN13: 9780231200219
• Release Date: July 2021
• Publisher: Columbia University Press
• Length: 264 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.9" x 8.9"