# Balanced Dance Partners By:: [[Brian Heath]] 2023-01-22 I heard an interesting saying that went something like this: Forecasting is the art of predicting the future and then explaining why it didn't happen. While amusing and a nugget of wisdom, it's rarely how we think about science and mathematics. We believe these things are infallible and that any error is a human [[failure]] or asymmetrical power dynamics. We rarely question whether the methods of science and mathematics are fundamentally wrong in some essential way. It's a large blind spot in the modern world that is closer to the cause of injustices and disagreements than many scientifically proposed alternatives. Both sides of the political aisle can bring data, mathematics, and science to prove their point. Both sides scoff at the other as clearly their version is correct and the others are crackpots. Left and right-leaning think tank organizations wage endless wars as long as someone keeps footing the bill. If science, mathematics, and data reveal the truth, how can two theories exist that oppose each other? As highlighted in *The Listening Society*, "science is a whore dressed up as a queen, a jester posing as king." Gasp, not our beloved science. This is not to say that science is not useful - it certainly is, just look around. But treating science as a god limits what is possible. So, where does this leave analytics, which can look an awful lot like science and mathematics? It is merely a way to view the world - not the only way. It is not infallible. But it can also be much more than predictions, charts, and algorithms. It is the constant evolution of human thinking and reasoning - it just got distracted by the low-hanging fruit of the scientific method. Its dance partner is the constant evolution of the human experience and solidarity. Think of the nerdy mathematics philosopher with a side data business dancing with the enlightened yoga instructor who volunteers at the food bank. Two very different people, yet driven towards progress beyond the [[status quo]]. In this dance is the art of predicting and making the future better together, but then always exploring why it hasn't happened yet. #### Related Items [[Science]] [[Analytics]] [[Predictive Analytics]] [[Forecasting]] [[Solidarity]]