I Believe I Can See The Future

Recently on @clayboyn 's Coffee and Philosophy Ep. 48 we touched on the subject of tapping into the fabric of the cosmos and predicting the future and by extension time travel. This is not a new concept as many people have been well known for making predictions about the future. I have a link to a track which will set the tone for our discussion, feel free to keep it on repeat as we roll forward from here.

Nine Inch Nails - Everyday Is Exactly The Same (LP Version)

Nostradamus

Michel de Nostredame (depending on the source, 14 or 21 December 1503 – 1 or 2 July 1566), usually Latinised as Nostradamus,[a] was a French astrologer, physician and reputed seer, who is best known for his book Les Propheties, a collection of 942 poetic quatrains[b] allegedly predicting future events. The book was first published in 1555 and has rarely been out of print since his death.
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Nostradamus

Nostradamus is one of the more famous predictors of the future, well known as a "seer" and some "amazing prophecies", however, on closer examination we find that there are a number of issues with the predictions made by Nostradamus. The first problem we find is that the writings are vague and presented as kinds of riddles that are open for interpretation. The next issue is that the predictions are translated from French to English adding another degree of "interpretation" between the languages.

Many have criticized the works of Nostradamus as being incredibly vague and applicable to "almost anything". Those who follow and subscribe to the work Nostradamus have also been accused of manipulating the data to suit their purpose, that is, deliberate misinterpretation of writings in a form of confirmation bias.

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Leonardo Da Vinci

Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (Italian: [leoˈnardo di ˌsɛr ˈpjɛːro da (v)ˈvintʃi] (About this soundlisten); 15 April 1452 – 2 May 1519), more commonly Leonardo da Vinci or simply Leonardo, was an Italian polymath of the Renaissance whose areas of interest included invention, drawing, painting, sculpting, architecture, science, music, mathematics, engineering, literature, anatomy, geology, astronomy, botany, writing, history, and cartography. He has been variously called the father of palaeontology, ichnology[2], and architecture, and he is widely considered one of the greatest painters of all time. Sometimes credited with the inventions of the parachute, helicopter, and tank,[3][4][5] he epitomised the Renaissance humanist ideal.
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Leonardo Da Vinci

More than just a Ninja Turtle, Leonardo Da Vinci was an accomplished individual in a variety of fields, from the arts to the sciences and everything in between. Due to the understanding of the sciences/mathematics/engineering, and many would consider it an "advanced understanding", Leonardo Da Vinci was able to predict a number of advancements such as the tank, helicopter and the parachute well before their time.

Tank| Helicopter | Parachute

However, there is a considerable difference between these predictions of Da Vinci and those of Nostradamus, primarily the use of the sciences , understanding particular principals and extrapolating the data beyond the current applications and the technological limitations of the times. Da Vinci did have a little more to predict further than the sciences would allow him to see...

Da Vinci Predictions

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John Elfreth Watkins

John Elfreth Watkins Sr. (1852–1903) was Curator of Mechanical Technology at the United States National Museum (Smithsonian Institution). He received his education at Lafayette College, graduating in 1871, and worked first for the Delaware & Hudson Canal Company, as a mining engineer, for a year, and then for the Pennsylvania Railroad as assistant engineer of construction. Disabled in 1873 by an accident that resulted in the loss of his right leg, he was reassigned to the Amboy division of the railroad. In 1883 h became chief clerk of the Camden and Atlantic Railroad and in 1884 chief clerk of the Amboy division of the Pennsylvania Railroad.
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John Elfreth Watkins

American civil engineer called John Elfreth Watkins made a number of considerably decent predictions for the future for the year 2000 from waaaaay down town in 1900. Some of these include mobile phones, TV, color photography, tanks (as did Da Vinci). There were a few predictions which were off as well, some of these can be seen in the article Ten 100-year predictions that came true.

Again we have another scientific mind, utilizing the skills acquired in their craft to observe and understand data, then extrapolate beyond the times and technology to a somewhat foreseeable future based on that information.

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Albert Einstein

Albert Einstein (/ˈaɪnstaɪn/;[4] German: [ˈalbɛɐ̯t ˈʔaɪnʃtaɪn] (About this soundlisten); 14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist[5] who developed the theory of relativity, one of the two pillars of modern physics (alongside quantum mechanics).[3][6]:274 His work is also known for its influence on the philosophy of science.[7][8] He is best known to the general public for his mass–energy equivalence formula E = mc2, which has been dubbed "the world's most famous equation".[9] He received the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics "for his services to theoretical physics, and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect",[10] a pivotal step in the development of quantum theory.

Albert Einstein

Gravity Waves - They were proposed by Henri Poincaré in 1905 and subsequently predicted in 1916 by Albert Einstein on the basis of his general theory of relativity. Gravitational waves transport energy as gravitational radiation, a form of radiant energy similar to electromagnetic radiation.
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However, due to technological limitations of the time the theory of gravity waves could not be supported, that is, not until 2015, were gravity waves able to be detected by modern sciences who had been searching for gravity waves for well over 50 years... Again we have a scientific basis and understanding, data is extrapolated, stats used to give form and meaning, then POW!!! prediction of outcome, are we seeing the pattern here ?

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Discrepancies, Anomalies, Outliers and Fakers

I can hear people say "yeah but what about the non science stuffs?", the mystics, psychics, and gifted. Well for the most part, many who claim to have extraordinary powers tend to not be able to produce results when tested scientifically. Meaning that they are con artists trying to make a quick buck and take advantage of people who are lost , seeking answers, have experienced trauma, mourning, etc.

This is not to say that there aren't forces beyond our understanding, which exist further than what we can observe with our senses and current technology, but that there are people out there who are willing to use the unknown to prey on the vulnerable to make some money.

The role of science is to test and measure most of what we can experience as a human beings, gaining understanding and defining meaning. The basis of anything to be scientific is that it needs to be:

1. Observable
2. Measurable
3. Repeatable.

If these key elements are not met then whatever is in question is not able to be appropriately measured by the sciences. But we should not let the limitations of science prevent us from investigating to the best of our abilities. Keeping in mind that germ theory could not have been supported without the microscope AND that gravity waves were also not detectable until almost a century after being theorized.

That being said, there has not been one time traveler which has been able to provide any evidence of being from a different time , dimension, alternate universe. Further, none have been able to accurately predict future events based on their knowledge of said future. Even the basis of being able to "see the future" in visions, would assume that there is some kind of energetic connection bridging the divide between the here and now and the inevitable predicted future...

Lets take the world ending as an example, there have been a considerable amount of these predictions in our time on this planet, none of which have come to fruition: List of dates predicted for apocalyptic events

End of the World As We Know It... And I Feel Fine

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Art Imitating Life or Life Imitating Art ?

Star Trek

Star Trek is an American space opera media franchise based on the science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry. The first television series, simply called Star Trek and now referred to as "The Original Series", debuted in 1966 and aired for three seasons on the television network NBC. It followed the interstellar adventures of Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and his crew aboard the starship USS Enterprise, a space exploration vessel, built by the United Federation of Planets in the twenty-third century.

Star Trek

Here we have a Television show from 1966 which is set in the future and in space, some of the "future technology" on the show has made its way into our everyday lives in contemporary society (2019). The "go to" is the Tricorder, a hand held device which, on the TV Show, can measure a number of variables (depending on its model).

In the science-fictional Star Trek universe, a tricorder is a multi function hand held device used for sensor (environment) scanning, data analysis, and recording data.
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Tricorder | Mobile Phone = Tricorder

What is intriguing is the lines which can be drawn between the Tricorder and the modern mobile smart phone. Our phones contain so much information about us, Holds the answers to the collective human knowledge, has g sensors, gps, records audio/visual/text/text to speech/speech to text and can tell us up to date information about where we are ie our environment.

This was thought to be an impossibility of technological advancements even by many who were fans of the original television show in its time... and yet here we are, with technology at the fingertips of almost anyone in the world. But the question remains, did this science fiction artwork influence the development of of the technology? What we tend to see is that science fiction can become science non fiction.

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The Simpsons

The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company.[1][2][3] The series is a satirical depiction of working-class life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. The show is set in the fictional town of Springfield and parodies American culture and society, television, and the human condition.
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The Simpsons

Now, here is where we get a little crazy, there are a number of people who have investigated the story lines of The Simpsons and pointed out some absolute gems when it comes to the television show somehow predicting the future a good number of years before the events taking place. now its a given that some of these are a stretch of the imagination, however, others are quite on point as far as predictability is concerned.

Simpsons Predicts The Future

What we have to consider here is a particular construct, that is, given enough time anything that can happen, will happen. Seeing as the Simpsons is a show which is reflective of family life, human existence and the human condition, it is natural that the people creating the show would lean on real life examples when searching for topics to cover. The Simpsons began in 1989 and among the many episodes there is only many tales to tell, and the longer the show runs/airs, the more likely it is that the show would cover something which would come to fruition in the long term.

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Conclusion

At its very core, we can predict the future, its that simple. If i go to the shopping center in operating hours i predict there will be people there, BAM!!! there they are... no great feat, but its true right ? We could make the same prediction for i year from now,ten years from now and still have a considerable degree of confidence that we would be right... but that is not the kind of predictions we want to hear now is it? We want to be able to predict the winning lottery ticket numbers, know when tragedy will strike so we can avoid it, and when can i have my back to the future hover board.

Hover board

The truth about predicting the future is that, at present, it takes a degree of knowledge understanding of a particular subject, studying and learning, mastery of a craft and utilizing all the data to suggest a possible outcome. This is hard work and for many, its "too much work"... so we seek the easy way out, some supernatural force that "gifts" special abilities to shortcut and bypass what is necessary for a educated perspective on what the future holds.

Ultimately it comes down to logical lines of thinking based on application of preexisting data sets processed with better technology, or assuming the technology will come in time, and projecting outwards form that current position. THS is how we have managed to predict the future with "some" degree of accuracy until now.

Does this mean that there is no means of ripping the space time continuum with a flux capacitor, lo jacked into a Delorian, powered by Libyan plutonium, to traverse the universe...? well no... we can not really comment on that as we dont have any evidence speaking in either direction... why? because science.

Carl Sagan Quote

And who knows, maybe there is an intergalactic frequency out there we are yet to discover whic revolutionizes the way we currently perceive space, time, existence and a great number of other factors in life.... im mean hell... we are currently investigating simulation theory which would indicate that NOTHING is real, but only exists as a bunch of ones and zeros on a some alien technology so foreign to us it is unfathomable, but i digress.

The long and short is that we have some ability to predict the future, from seconds to minutes all the way to years and decades, it really just depends on what is being measured. We also have the ability to fail at these predictions, again based on the measure. We can take solace in the fact that we all have the ability to predict the future, to some degree, and that it really just depends on how committed and dedicated we are to working on our ability of foresight, the extent of which has separated us from many of the other species on the planet...

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Now you know you can see the future... what will you do with that power...?

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Crystal Ball