In one sense predicting the future happens all the time and does not require reference to supernatural powers, divination, backwards causation in time, access to extra dimensions or bizarre quantum phenomena. It is about being having knowledge of the world, being observant, intelligent, and having a good grasp of cause and effect and logic. Indeed, the brain is built to predict the future on the basis of the information it has available to it about the world.

The brain is able to use information from past states of the world to predict future states. But could information from future states be passed back to influence us causally now? Modern philosophy and science would mostly say no on both empirical and logical grounds. Although some theorists suggests that there is no reason why information should not be passed backwards in time as long as it doesn't change the course of future events.

What I find more interesting is the possible extent of the powers of the brain. We know that it can model broad trends in the state of the world in hours, days, and in some cases months and years. We also know that it can predict some quite specific things with a reasonable degree of accuracy on the basis of the information that it has, such as the winners of sports events. But could it be that if the the power of the brain can really be harnessed we would be able to sharpen up these models of the future even further, to an astonishing degree of accuracy?

Learn more about this author, Darian Peters.
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