World Models: Who is the Guarantor?

There is an old saying, “War is too important to be left to the Generals.” To this I would add, “World models are too important to be left to the model builders.” This does not mean that the burden of the model building effort should not be borne by operations researchers and modeling experts. However, as the ultimate stakes are so terribly high, I do mean that the model builders should not do it alone. The possible survival of mankind is simply too much responsibility for one small segment of society to bear. Consequently, any policy model which is constructed needs a socially recognized guarantor. The data and assumptions of a model must be warranted and secured by some person, process or belief. This is an awesome responsibility to be assumed by a lonely model-builder. It is a responsibility that I believe must be shared by the body politic on whose behalf the model is constructed.