Holesupon

Holesupon is a term used in hypothetical discourse to describe a holistic, forward-looking evaluative method for decision-making and analysis, emphasizing the layering of potential outcomes and systems interactions.

Coined in the early 21st century by speculative fiction writer and thinker J. M. Alder, the term fuses holistic reasoning with the sense of placing consequences upon present conditions to highlight interdependencies.

The concept provides a structured approach to map consequences across social, economic, and environmental dimensions, employing a two-axis framework of scope from local to global and time from immediate to long-term. It also emphasizes transparency by documenting assumptions and uncertainties.

Holesupon originated in fiction and academic essays on governance and ethics and was later adopted by design thinking and policy analysis communities as a framework for evaluating multi-stakeholder impacts.

Key principles include a systemic perspective, the layering of temporal consequences, outcome transparency, iterative revision, and accountability to stakeholders.

Applications are found in policy analysis, product design, urban planning, and climate risk assessment, where it guides assessment of cross-cutting effects and unintended consequences.

Criticisms point to its potential abstraction and data demands, the risk of decision paralysis, and the need for robust models and governance to implement it effectively.

See also holism, systems thinking, scenario planning, and ethics of technology.