# Analysis of the Present is the Future By:: [[Brian Heath]] 2022-09-16 There are said to be three primary types of analyses. Descriptive Analyses describe what happened in the past, Predictive Analyses describe what might happen in the future, and Prescriptive Analyses describe what one can do to achieve a future outcome. Time is critical in each of these. Descriptive is backward-looking, while Predictive and Prescriptive are forward-looking. Here time is linear and additive with past events leading to future results. This is a very common way of thinking about time. However, what if we look at time differently? Can we say that the past causes the present and the future? How do we know that the past or the future exists? From this perspective, what we think of as the past is only a thought that occurs in the present. Even past recordings can only be interpreted within the context of the now. Similarly, the future is only understood within the present and when we reach the future we are still only in the present. You may think this to be a strange notion, but this is the essence of any advice about [[living]] in the moment. So, what happens to analysis if we reject there being a past or a future? Description Analysis becomes [[understanding]] of what is happening now, Predictive Analysis describes what we are facing, and Prescriptive Analysis describes our hope. This is a profound shift. No one cares about the past because it happened in the past. They only care about the past because of the present situation. Descriptive Analysis is not about the past, it's about the here and now. Similarly, no one cares about the future unless there is a struggle happening right now. Predictive Analysis is about the anxiety present in our [[life]] at this very moment. Will this continue or will this stop? Finally, we only seek agency and self-actualization when we believe that we can make a difference. Prescriptive Analysis is about discovering how the actions of today can provide meaning to the present because the present is all we have. This representation of analysis highlights analysis as an experience that intersects with our human consciousness. We are intuitively aware of these things and often abstract our thoughts away from ourselves. This allows us to feel like we can manipulate and control the world around us, but this may all be an illusion. Analysis, as largely conceived and practiced today, embraces the idea of being able to manipulate and control the world around us and it has been successful. However, what may separate a good analysis from a great analysis is the acknowledgment that analysis is an experience tied to improving the human condition. Present in all three redefined analysis types are elements of human anxiety, concern, achievement, and pursuit of meaning. This sounds a lot more like psychology and [[The Jam|philosophy]] than mathematics. Great analysts intuitively understand this and use it to support the cause. There is a reason why analysts are one of the few occupations in a business where the [[Coffee as Rebellion|organizational hierarchy can be subverted]]. Entry-level analysts can advise and challenge the CEO with data. As an outside observer, an analyst could be conceived as a counselor. Someone who can ask the hard questions while still being on your side. Analysis of the present is the future. #### Related Items [[Analytics]] [[Descriptive Analytics]] [[Predictive Analytics]] [[Prescriptive Analytics]] [[Psychology]] [[Philosophy]] [[Time]]