“Thoughtful speculation“

I have run into this phrase several times this summer and thought it was worthy of a blog post. The context was in book reviews where the author did not have all the facts but could see a trend line or an implication. For instance near the mound at Pueblo Grande Museum there are the remains of a ball court. In fact ball court remains have been found throughout the Phoenix area. Thoughtful speculation would lead one to the conclusion that there was plenty of free time to play games meaning food surpluses.