We urgently need better economic predictions, but conventional economics has failed us. Founder of chaos theory J. Doyne Farmer is here to help, with groundbreaking ideas to lead to a better world.

What do climate change, financial crises, A.I., inequality and political polarization all have in common? They are all rooted in the economy (stupid). And yet standard economic predictions fail us.

J. Doyne Farmer pioneered chaos and complexity theory – now, he joins How To Academy with a manifesto for doing economics better. In a tale of science and ideas, Farmer will fuse his profound knowledge with stories from his life to explain how to harness a scientific revolution to address the economic conundrums facing society.

Using big data and ever more powerful computers, we can for the first time apply complex systems science to economic activity, building realistic models of the global economy. The resulting simulations and the emergent behaviour we observe form the cornerstone of complexity economics. 

This new science, Farmer believes, will allow us to test ideas and make significantly better economic predictions – and, ultimately, create a better world.

Tickets to this online event are free for members of How To +.

Praise for J. Doyne Farmer’s Making Sense of Chaos:

‘Doyne Farmer is the world’s leading thinker on technological change. For decades he has focused on the question of how we can make sense of the data of today to see where the world is going tomorrow. This wonderful book applies these insights to economics, addressing the big global issues of environmental sustainability, and the well-being and prosperity of people around the world’ –  Max Roser, Founder of Our World in Data.