Big data, language and the death of the theorist

"I always joke, to paraphrase the great Indiana Jones," Leetaru says, "that big data is about finding patterns, not truth -- if it's truth you're after, the philosophy department's down the hallway."

Believe it or not, some people even think we can forecast the future with big data. Predicting world-changing events is a possibility, some claim, if you treat society and history like a big data problem. It's how big data analyst Kalev Leetaru found where Osama bin Laden had been hiding, in a way.

More from source Big data, language and the death of the theorist (Wired UK)