According to some Latin definitions, "to speculate" means "to observe from a height," and a "speculator" can mean a spy or an explorer. In both cases, the speculator is capable of seeing ahead—someone who observes what is happening and concludes the probable scenarios that may result. Speculation, then, is an observation laden with accumulated knowledge that allows for a serious reading of possibilities, thereby anticipating what might occur.
Architects are accustomed to this exercise; after all, designing entails anticipating a future possibility based on knowledge that makes a given alternative plausible without necessarily being real.
