Computational Thinking and the Digital Humanities: Leveraging the Virtual to Influence the Real World (original) (raw)
One might argue that economics and the topics addressed in the humanities are not at all similar, and that what works for one cannot possibly work for another. But I would counter that they are no less similar than other human processes, or the various forces of nature. The prognosticators of economics must take into account the various influential factors inherent in human behavior, just as weather forecasters must consider an infinite number of variables in the atmosphere in order to determine whether or not one should pack an umbrella before leaving home. Other disciplines have been able to leverage technology to aid in producing more accurate predictions. It stands to reason a similar outcome is at least possible in anticipating human behavior and adjusting for it in order to find solutions to Maxwell’s problems of living. What will prove or disprove this theory may be our ability to think in metaphor. We need to be able to look past the specific and be able to consider the analogous. While the process of scanning millennia of human events will probably not lead to a succinct, two-digit number that answers the question of life, the universe and everything, it may provide us with what we need to make wise, data-driven decisions that may contribute to our survival as a species. Such a strategy may provide the necessary perspective that will infuse wisdom into our decision-making processes and allow us to know when it is necessary to pack an umbrella— metaphorically speaking.
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