Day Eleven : Teleological - Divination

Teleological

Definition

: exhibiting or relating to design or purpose especially in nature

Teleological (which comes to us, by way of New Latin, from the Greek root tele-, telos,
meaning "end or purpose") and its close relative teleology both entered English in the 18th century,
followed by teleologist in the 19th century. Teleology has the basic meaning of "the study of ends or
purposes." A teleologist attempts to understand the purpose of something by looking at its results.
A teleological philosopher might argue that we should judge whether an act is good or bad by seeing
if it produces a good or bad result.

The broken glass sparkled quite beautifully in the light emitted from the few remaining unsmashed light
fixtures. I settled back in my chair, my steaming cup of sub-par coffee waiting for me by my elbow and
began to read the diary I'd discovered within the trashed paperwork littering the managing director’s office.
It was the diary of one John Tremiane - the founder member of our workshop, the biggest name in
Teleology and the biggest game changer of this century. He had died, and been buried with much fanfare,
a few years ago. I wondered if his grave was still in one piece - if it had been sanctified or desecrated. 

My thoughts digressed. 

John Tremaine was a teleologist and had studied teleology for years, and came about the theory that,
if what teleologists had theorised for years - that if history was indeed circular and humans could not
help but repeat their actions, then surely it should be possible to reverse engineer this process - that by
studying the results of the past, we could then predict future choices and their cause and effect.

This was not really a new theory, it had been bandied about before for generations. However John
Tremaine was not only a Teleologist, he was also a brilliant mathematician and engineer - and he had
other, talented colleagues who shared his dream of a warless future. For, he reasoned in his diary, if
you could prove to those in power the exact result of their proposed conflict, then surely they would turn
away from war and seek other, more peaceful and profitable means instead.

John Tremaine was a dreamer and he had both the skills and drive to turn those dreams into reality.

Fifty years ago the first Future Probability Prediction Machine was born. To give John Tremaine’s
hopeful soul credit, it did indeed stop and even prevent several wars.

The first machine was huge, clunky and could only give percentage probabilities to  basic questions -
but they were always accurate probabilities. The government leapt on it like a godsend and would have
probably used it to win a lot of their own wars - had John Tremaine not announced the machine publicly
at the worldwide Peace Summit the week before.  

Thirty years later and the machines had developed so far that not only could they answer complex
queries, instead of churning out a bland bit of copier paper with the percentages typed on it, using the
latest technology they could even show you the events that would unfold from your choice using
animated pictures. Some even said it was just like looking into a window and watching a  television
programme of the future version of yourself. The machines were so accurate that the firm was even
accused of witchcraft by some extremists. 

It was at this point that cracks began to emerge in the company. Our John had insisted that the
machines be strictly regulated - with only government officials, medical professionals and a few other
select people of choice to be permitted to view them. This brought in a pretty penny, but of course no
where near as much as, say, if they were produced commercially. 

Thirty two years after he first invented the machine, John Tremaine was voted out of his own company.
Although he still held stocks and shares, although profits still went to him, he no longer had control. After
this, not much was ever heard from him again. He refused all public appearances and quickly vanished
out of sight. Rumour has it that one plucky reporter managed to waylay him on his way out the door after
his dismissal and asked him what the future held for him now. Apparently John Tremaine looked him
straight in the eyes and said flatly ‘it’s all going to end in tears.’

Considering this was the man credited with inventing the machine that predicted the future, people really
should have listened. 

As soon as John Tremaine was out of the door production lines churned out prediction machines, setting
up a ‘Choice Centre’ in every major city, then every major town, small towns and even some villages.
They even had a travelling van set up so those in remote areas could try it. 

For the first ten years everything went pretty well. It took a year or two to really kick off and become more
than a fad for teenagers asking if the boy they fancied would ever fancy them back (usually no) but
then people were asking them about major business decisions, career advice, marital issues and even
about their health. Schools even started recommending to their pupils that they visit them before
completing their university applications. 

Eventually the machines, after proving endlessly that they were always right, began to move out of the
novelty phase, the ‘occasional use on big decisions phase’ and became part of the intrinsic background
of everyday life. 

And this was were the shit started to hit the fan. People were using the machines for everything.
Absolutely everything. They relied on them to plan their lives. So much so that the government started
absorbing them into their infrastructure, so these days you had to use them for everything - like applying
for a job (the employer has to see if you’ll stick with it), applying for college or university (same reason as
employer - plus will your grades be steady and will you bring acclaim to the firm) to even applying for a
mortgage or rental accommodation or a driving licence. They were everywhere. 

Even then, this might have been sustainable if everyone agreed to it. However, some people didn’t like
the idea of a machine choosing for them. Even if they chose wrong, it was still their choice to make. They
refused to use them. Which, technically was still their right to do - except it marked them as outcasts to
the rest of the nation and made it almost impossible for them to get a job, rent a flat, buy a home or even
learn to drive a car. 

Society started to schism. As more and more people were struggling to find work and put a roof over
their heads, more and more joined the Free Will Association. The government, far too attached to their
miracle machine to ever give it up, suggested limiting the machine’s use again, but the propel who
depended on it, who used it to run their lives, created such an outcry that this proposed action was
revoked. Which set off the FWA again. 

The issue was still completely unresolved and had been for about five years. Then an announcement
from the head production office yesterday had set everything aflame.

The prediction machines were glitching. On the quality control tests they periodically ran, some
machines were showing different  results to the same question, others showed what seemed to be a
completely irrelevant answer to the question and some only showed static.

Despite the message being sent on our most secure, internal channel, somehow it leaked to the outside
world. The more fanciful employees amongst us wondered if the machines themselves had done that,
having grown tired of our endless questions and anxiety about the future. 

In the distance, I could hear the sound of something heavy being smashed. Oh well, I was nearly at the
end of the diary anyway.

“Today is the day they kick me out. Despite everything I have done, every simulation I have run
through the machines in order to prevent this, it has proved futile. In this, as every other human who
has ever lived and breathed, i have proved predictable - i have fallen into the trap of thinking this time it
will be different, history will not repeat. And yet, true to form, it has. Truly, we will only ever change this
well worn path of ours if we first do our utmost to change ourselves - but we cannot seem to grasp this. 

I have begged Adam over and over again not to commercialise the machine. Yet he is a true believer -
he genuinely believes that knowledge should be shared for the betterment of all. He was not with me, in
that room in that cold concrete government office, facing those world leaders with nothing but avarice in
their eyes for my little machine. Right then and there I swore to myself to guard it as closely as I could -
for I knew that in the hands of people like these, people who had sworn to have their countries best
interests at heart (and perhaps they even did - but what limits would they place on themselves to uphold
that oath. None methinks.) my little machine would become nothing but a doomsday device. 

I told Adam again and again that, should people have constant access to the machine, they will continue
to rely on it more and more - too much in fact. So much so that they will lose the ability to make decisions
for themselves. If it reaches that point then the machines themselves will start to break. They
fundamentally work by making predictions from people’s choices. If there are no choices being made,
then they cannot make predictions about those choices. Simple. But  I suspect they will be so
widespread when it happens, that this will have devastating effects on the country’s infrastructure.


People will throw more than just a simple tantrum once they realise their security blanket has started
lying to them. 

But, my child once you reach the point of reading this, this is something that you will already know”

I raised my eyebrows. Dad always did know more than he was letting on. Why else had he had our
house built like a frigging nuclear bunker. 

“Despite my best intentions, I know you always bore a grudge on my behalf and will spend much of
your adult life seeking justice on my behalf. Know that I love you and I will always respect your wishes.
Know that I am proud of both you and  your sister and the brave and strong willed people you have
become. 

But an old man’s vengeance is not worth dying for.”

The smell of burning reached my nose. The crashes were becoming louder. 

“My beloved child, one of the greatest achievement of my life.”

“Run!”