Five Principles for Futures Thinking

[Steve Thomas]

1. Forget about predictions.
2. Focus on signals.
3. Look back to see forward.
4. Uncover patterns.
5. Create a community.

https://er.educause.edu/articles/2019/3/five-principles-for-thinking-like-a-futurist

" At its best, futures thinking is not about predicting the future; rather, it is about engaging people in thinking deeply about complex issues, imagining new possibilities, connecting signals into larger patterns, connecting the past with the present and the future, and making better choices today."

 

 

Does JFK's assassination tell us anything?

 

Steve Thomas

Edited July 13, 2021 by Steve Thomas

[Denny Zartman]

Those five principles are perfect advice for improvisation, that's for sure.

What does the assassination itself tell us if we consider it as one event in a larger pattern? It's hard to say without specifying the other events preceding it.

Applying those principles to the assassination itself might mean different things to different people. Here's how I would interpret them.

Forget about predictions - Don't try to have your conclusions always in mind as you're examining the relevancy of evidence that's new to you. If you already have a pet suspect in mind, it tends to make you, even subconsciously, reject evidence that clashes with your preconceived conclusion.

Focus on signals - Pay attention to the documented events that seem to connect to other individuals or organizations, especially if they can be supported by other witnesses or documentation. Also pay attention to evidence that has a questionable chain of evidence or has been subject to changes or falsification, as that evidence is likely the most crucial.

Look back to see forward - What were the biggest and most material changes in the wake of JFK's assassination? Where were the tides of history going in the time preceding, and in what direction did they go afterward? Cui bono? What individual, or organization, or government, or political policy benefited or changed the most?

Uncover patterns - Humans are big on perceiving patterns in what seems like chaos. Unfortunately, sometimes that makes us think we see patterns when there are none, like when we see faces and figures in the clouds. But,like the beat of a drum in the last minute is a decent predictor of the beat of the same drum in the next minute, patterns certainly serve their purpose for anyone attempting to predict future behavior.

Create a community - Well, we're here, aren't we?  Assassination research has always made progress when we work together for the larger goal of uncovering the truth.

[Steve Thomas]

11 hours ago, Denny Zartman said:

Those five principles are perfect advice for improvisation, that's for sure.

 

Denny,

 

You've summed it up nicely.

Thank you.

Steve Thomas

[B. A. Copeland]

Annnnd favorited. Thanks as always Steve. You and Denny's critical thinking here is absolutely crucial.

Edited April 1, 2019 by B. A. Copeland

[Ron Bulman]

Now if we can keep it going.