Inspired from the movie "Next"

Precognition

Being able to see ahead 2 minutes in time and no more (being able to evaluate the options from making choices).

A strange concept, but to me, believable. Especially if the future is mutable based on our choices. Being able to predict future events and being able to manipulate it to results that you chose instead "being a victim of circumstance".

The trick is paying attention enough to ones environment to notice the options as they open up in front of you.

From my experience, people very rarely stop and think about their options during the course of their day. And when they do, it's usually to determine what type of food to eat or what they'll use to entertain themselves. Those are very short term goals. What happens when you push through that barrier and make choices for later in the day? Is that precognition?

I usually claim it's just paying attention when I can anticipate certain individual actions from other people. Just paying attention to their patterns and making an educated guess based on the available data.

Bigger patterns are tougher to discern for me unless it's blazingly obvious.

Take in as much data as you can get your hands on and basically make a guess at an end result. Of course, with how complex our societies tend to be (and the assorted systems that out societies support), those guesses have a high rate of failure. And it's tough enough to plan for the next one when you cannot pick out the major force that influenced the last result. Minor influences cannot be discounted either (because these tend to influence people towards the major force and tip that cup over into a result).

So where does that leave us?

As confused as always.

Anyone up for a discussion?