The inability to predict imminent events (like earthquake timing or hurricane location) is not a valid test of whether a discipline is in intellectual decline, because geologists and seismologists understand earthquakes better than anyone else does but still cannot predict when the next one will occur, and meteorologists understand hurricanes better than anyone else but don't know exactly when or where the next one will come.

normativepending

Speaker

Larry Summers

Evidence Quote

I don't think so. First of all, I'm not sure it's a proper test of a science to be able to predict imminent events.

Source

Tariffs, Decline, and the Promise of AI | A Conversation with Larry Summers and Niall FergusonUniversity of Austin (UATX)
Created: 8/11/2026, 6:52:24 AM

My Notes

Loading notes...