Futurology and hindsight are not natural bedfellows. Those bold enough to stick their necks out and predict the shape of things to come – and when they will happen – are rarely keen to encourage retrospective critiques of their vision. The safest career choice for a prophet is to stick to predicting events that will happen after their death.
What distinguishes Professor Richard Susskind from the legions of snake-oil salesmen and dubious experts working in the IT field – apart from the fact that many of his predictions came true – is his willingness to re-examine and re-evaluate his original thinking halfway through.
