Andrew McIntosh

The world's foremost authority on futurist Patrick Gunkel. Writer and project manager, now getting into machine learning/AI. Views are my own and do not represent my employer.

The Gunkel Method

Patrick Gunkel Invented the Largest Cognitive Tool Humanity Has Ever Seen

Jun 22, 2026

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10 min read

Patrick Gunkel Invented the Largest Cognitive Tool Humanity Has Ever Seen

Element 3 of Gunkel's science of ideas. He basically took the way his mind worked and put it down on paper.

Andrew McIntosh

Charts

+10

"The Mass-Production of Ideas via Ideas that Generate Ideas."

Jun 15, 2026

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7 min read

"The Mass-Production of Ideas via Ideas that Generate Ideas."

An immediate pre-history of ideonomy, part 2 of 2.

Andrew McIntosh

Charts for the Mind

+10

Here Are the Charts Gunkel Made Right Before His Ideonomy Breakthrough

Jun 8, 2026

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7 min read

Here Are the Charts Gunkel Made Right Before His Ideonomy Breakthrough

An immediate pre-history of ideonomy, part 1 of 2.

Andrew McIntosh

Have You Been Mispronouncing "Ideonomy" This Entire Time?

Jun 1, 2026

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5 min read

Have You Been Mispronouncing "Ideonomy" This Entire Time?

Another trick headline to drive engagement. But seriously, have you?

Andrew McIntosh

Academia

The Incredible Afterlife of Patrick Gunkel's List of 638 Personality Traits

May 25, 2026

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8 min read

The Incredible Afterlife of Patrick Gunkel's List of 638 Personality Traits

Most of the researchers citing Gunkel seem to have no idea who he was

Andrew McIntosh

Archival Materials

Did Police Brutality Instill a Hatred of Authority in Patrick Gunkel?

May 18, 2026

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4 min read

Did Police Brutality Instill a Hatred of Authority in Patrick Gunkel?

Gunkel suffered significant trauma twice at the hands of the police

Andrew McIntosh

Archival Materials

Patrick Gunkel's Self-Destructive Personality in His Own Words

May 11, 2026

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5 min read

Patrick Gunkel's Self-Destructive Personality in His Own Words

And how some of his friends managed to survive it

Andrew McIntosh

Alan McHenry

Did You Notice a Page Was Missing from Gunkel's Manuscript?

May 4, 2026

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5 min read

Did You Notice a Page Was Missing from Gunkel's Manuscript?

Even if you didn't, don't worry... I got you covered.

Andrew McIntosh

Archival Materials

"It's High Intensity Play. It's Right on the Edge. It's a Little Scary."

Apr 27, 2026

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6 min read

"It's High Intensity Play. It's Right on the Edge. It's a Little Scary."

Gunkel's research in idea chemistry was already well advanced by August 1984

Andrew McIntosh

Herman Kahn

What Is "Idea Chemistry" and Why's It So Important for Ideonomy?

Apr 20, 2026

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13 min read

What Is "Idea Chemistry" and Why's It So Important for Ideonomy?

Part 2 of an intermittent 8-part series that will take you step by step through Patrick Gunkel's magnificent science of ideas

Andrew McIntosh

Academia

This 1981 Memo May Contain Gunkel's Earliest Description of Ideonomy

Apr 13, 2026

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6 min read

This 1981 Memo May Contain Gunkel's Earliest Description of Ideonomy

As the world's preeminent Gunkel scholar, I believe this is a crucial document that should be publicly available to everyone.

Andrew McIntosh

Gunkel's Writings

+14

There’s Much More to Know about Gunkel’s Work for the Hudson Institute

Apr 6, 2026

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11 min read

There’s Much More to Know about Gunkel’s Work for the Hudson Institute

Gunkel left a paper trail that shows he was a serious futurist; here are some of his “greatest hits”

Andrew McIntosh

Gunkel's Writings

Gunkel Helped NASA Imagine First Contact with Aliens

Mar 30, 2026

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8 min read

Gunkel Helped NASA Imagine First Contact with Aliens

You'll never believe what happened next... or actually, maybe you will.

Andrew McIntosh

Gunkel's Writings

Mar 23, 2026

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8 min read

Patrick Gunkel's Amazon.com Profile Is a Treasure Trove of Information

But also a portal to further mystery

Andrew McIntosh

If You Think the DMV Is Hell, Just Try Writing a New Wikipedia Article

Mar 16, 2026

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14 min read

If You Think the DMV Is Hell, Just Try Writing a New Wikipedia Article

An article on ideonomy now exists, and it's high time!

Andrew McIntosh

Academia

My Gunkel-Related Research Was Just Published in an Academic Journal

Mar 9, 2026

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8 min read

My Gunkel-Related Research Was Just Published in an Academic Journal

I didn't mention Gunkel in the article, but a Hudson Institute report Gunkel worked on was prominently featured

Andrew McIntosh

Academia

+13

Updating Patrick Gunkel's Wikipedia Page

Mar 2, 2026

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8 min read

Updating Patrick Gunkel's Wikipedia Page

And now there is a picture of him and Sinbad

Andrew McIntosh

Hudson Institute

Why Was Gunkel So Obsessed with His Charts?

Feb 23, 2026

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7 min read

Why Was Gunkel So Obsessed with His Charts?

Hint: they're basically visual lists.

Andrew McIntosh

Academia

Did Patrick Gunkel Really Invent Ideonomy?

Feb 16, 2026

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5 min read

Did Patrick Gunkel Really Invent Ideonomy?

It's kind of a trick question.

Andrew McIntosh

LIMITATIONS

Gunkel Had a "Beautiful Mind" and This Chart-Drawing Proves It

Feb 9, 2026

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7 min read

Gunkel Had a "Beautiful Mind" and This Chart-Drawing Proves It

Almost nobody has ever seen this image before

Andrew McIntosh

Gunkel's Writings

Why Humanity Desperately Needs a Theory of Ideas

Feb 2, 2026

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6 min read

Why Humanity Desperately Needs a Theory of Ideas

Part 1 of an intermittent 8-part series that will take you step by step through Patrick Gunkel's magnificent science of ideas

Andrew McIntosh

Gunkel's Writings

Patrick Gunkel Was the Archetypical American Genius Dropout

Jan 26, 2026

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8 min read

Patrick Gunkel Was the Archetypical American Genius Dropout

Long before it became a thing

Andrew McIntosh

Gunkel's Writings

This Early Gunkel List Will Blow Your Mind

Jan 19, 2026

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6 min read

This Early Gunkel List Will Blow Your Mind

And what's his deal with lists, anyway?

Andrew McIntosh

Gunkel's Writings

Patrick Gunkel's Stunning Career To-Do List

Jan 12, 2026

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7 min read

Patrick Gunkel's Stunning Career To-Do List

Written when he was only 23

Andrew McIntosh

Edward Fredkin

Jan 5, 2026

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5 min read

Launching the World's First Newsletter Dedicated to American Futurist Patrick Gunkel

Are you all-in on Gunkel? I sure am.

Andrew McIntosh

Andrew McIntosh

Patrick Gunkel Invented the Largest Cognitive Tool Humanity Has Ever Seen

"The Mass-Production of Ideas via Ideas that Generate Ideas."

Here Are the Charts Gunkel Made Right Before His Ideonomy Breakthrough

Have You Been Mispronouncing "Ideonomy" This Entire Time?

The Incredible Afterlife of Patrick Gunkel's List of 638 Personality Traits

Did Police Brutality Instill a Hatred of Authority in Patrick Gunkel?

Patrick Gunkel's Self-Destructive Personality in His Own Words

Did You Notice a Page Was Missing from Gunkel's Manuscript?

"It's High Intensity Play. It's Right on the Edge. It's a Little Scary."

What Is "Idea Chemistry" and Why's It So Important for Ideonomy?

This 1981 Memo May Contain Gunkel's Earliest Description of Ideonomy

There’s Much More to Know about Gunkel’s Work for the Hudson Institute

Gunkel Helped NASA Imagine First Contact with Aliens

Patrick Gunkel's Amazon.com Profile Is a Treasure Trove of Information

If You Think the DMV Is Hell, Just Try Writing a New Wikipedia Article

My Gunkel-Related Research Was Just Published in an Academic Journal

Updating Patrick Gunkel's Wikipedia Page

Why Was Gunkel So Obsessed with His Charts?

Did Patrick Gunkel Really Invent Ideonomy?

Gunkel Had a "Beautiful Mind" and This Chart-Drawing Proves It

Why Humanity Desperately Needs a Theory of Ideas

Patrick Gunkel Was the Archetypical American Genius Dropout

This Early Gunkel List Will Blow Your Mind

Patrick Gunkel's Stunning Career To-Do List

Launching the World's First Newsletter Dedicated to American Futurist Patrick Gunkel

IDEA CHEMISTRY