Predicting the Future from Tarot Cards to Computer Algorithms

4 credits

No one can see the future but everyone must try. When we act with purpose, we must form an idea of the consequences of our actions and the world in which our action will unfold. We must form expectations about the future, and therefore, we must predict, often in the face of great uncertainty, what will and won’t happen. This course surveys the social devices from tarot cards to computer algorithms designed to solve the problem of prediction. Prerequisites: upper-division standing.