'The best way to predict the future is to invent it' quote of the day by physicist Dennis Gabor on the nature of innovation

Date:
Fri, 28 Aug 2026 22:00:00 +0000

Description:
This philosophy has been at the heart of progress for generations

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Dennis Gabor was a Hungarian-British physicist who's widely credited with inventing holography,
a photographic technique that can record and reconstruct three-dimensional images. This is an invention for which he received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1971. But his legacy extends to his philosophy on the nature of innovation "Technological and social inventions are broadening this probability space
all the time; it is now incomparably larger than it was before the industrial revolutionfor good or for evil. The future cannot be predicted, but futures can be invented. It was mans ability to invent which has made human society what it is. The mental processes of inventions are still mysterious. They are rational but not logical, that is to say, not deductive." Dennis Gabor,
March 1963 Go your own way Gabor wrote this iconic passage in his now-extremely rare book 'Inventing the Future', in which he sketched out an optimistic vision for the future. Quote of the day This article is part of TechRadar Pro's QOTD project to provide an insight into the minds of the brightest and most recognized figures in the technology industry today and in years gone by. Read the full series here . At the core of his belief was that there was no need to any longer passively predict what may come to pass in
the years ahead. Instead, the influence and strength of science and industry was such that mankind could forge its own future. Latest Videos From
TechRadar Watch full video here:

The comments also focused on that pivot point of the industrial revolution, before which the possibilities of the future were fairly limited, in his
view. As each wave of innovation comes to pass, the possibilities continue to expand. Charting a path There's no understating the influence that Gabor had in modern science and industry. His comments were routinely quoted, and even adopted, by others. Chief among the figures that took this philosophy to
heart was Alan Kay , described as one of the true luminaries of personal computing. You may like Quote of the day by Microsoft co-founder and ex-CEO Bill Gates: 'We always overestimate the change that will occur in the next
two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the ten' insights on the nature of progress Quote of the day by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella: "Our industry does not respect tradition it only respects innovation" Quote of the day by Alan Turing: 'We can only see a short distance ahead, but we
can see plenty there that needs to be done'

Kay, whose career spanned stints at Apple and HP among other industry titans, used this idea of inventing, not predicting, the future as a core maxim from 1971. He used the phrase to inspire his work in pioneering elements like the graphical user interface and laptops many years before they were realized.

Although Gabor was a very influential figure in the technology world, his predictions weren't always on the mark . In 1962, for instance, he said sending documents via telephone wires was possible, but only in principle. That's because the equipment required was so expensive that he didn't see a world in which they'd be cheap enough for the technology to become practical. Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed! Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.



======================================================================
Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/pro/the-best-way-to-predict-the-future-is-to-invent- it-quote-of-the-day-by-physicist-dennis-gabor-on-the-nature-of-innovation


--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 (Linux/64)
* Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100)