[!@#$%!]

Originally Posted by choc e-Claire

Rather than saying 'this one thing is definitely going to happen, and it's bad', it's saying 'there's a lot of things that could happen, and some of them are bad'.

yes but it’s not as neutral. this way of stating probabilities leaves further openings to dishonest operators or misinterpretation by idiots, or both. which is not what you intend.

yes, all we have is probabilities. but the probability of bad things happening with the climate keeps continually increasing.

quantum mechanics is also probabilities from few observable states. still we got enough of a handle on those probabilities that we can make laser pointers for cats to play with.

a bit like the old joke about the mathematician and the engineer.

they both are thinking about kissing an attractive person.

the mathematician thinks they first have to travel halfway there. then halfway the remaining distance. then half again, and half again, and so forth. since space is infinitely divisible, the mathematician gives up on ever getting there.

the engineer just needs to get close enough for all practical purposes.