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Mitch Skiles

Owner/Contributor, LuxPerci.com

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Can we look at the past when looking for future solutions to modern problems?

I read a book called "The Black Swan" by Nassim Taleb which proposes the idea that the world is incredibly unpredictable. These "Black Swan" events control integral moments in the history of our species; whether that be a stock market crash or 9/11. In hindsight we may see a trend, but at any given moment the future of a new black swan event is impossible to predict. I am wondering that if this is the case, can we still look into the past to find solutions to problems. I did an analysis of Israel while looking for a solution to the Arab-Israeli Conflict and found an interesting economic trend when compared to cooperation. (If you would like to read my study visit http://luxperci.com/solution-arab-israeli-conflict/ ) Is this a fair assumption?

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    David Brossman

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    Aug 21 2012: Albert Einstein said “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them." And then there is, of course, Santayana saying, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." Much in the world is unpredictable. Much of it is not. The past illustrates many times over the struggle between the powerful and the masses of humanity. And that, it has been suggested many times over, is the fundamental problem facing humankind.

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