Gazing into the crystal ball Tyler E Nixon/Getty
Politics, extreme weather events, international crises: all instances in which you might feel you’d want an expert handling things at the top. Someone experienced and with reasoned judgement would, you might hope, anticipate, or at least be able to handle, the unforeseen.
In Forewarned: A sceptic’s guide to prediction (Biteback), Paul Goodwin reveals just how far the forecasting industry has become entwined with our everyday lives. It keeps supermarket shelves full, ensures that call centres are adequately staffed and anticipates demand on the electricity grid. Yet prediction is far from…
