A year back, there was this local movie in town.
It poked fun at the local punters, making every effort, of the local punter to get rich, looked silly.
There was this famous statement made by a punter, played by an actor whom is also a variety show host.
He said," Chances of winning the lottery is 50-50."
When questioned why, he replied, "You either strike or you don't strike".
The statement rested at the back of my mind registered as a comical joke.
I chanced upon a book recently in town.
101 Philosophy Problems
Author : Martin Cohen
It's a book which gives actual cases of real life philosophical paradoxes.
Is there life on Mars?
A question of statistics perhaps from the evidence of the data collected in countless space expeditions.
Finding sources of water or traces of moisture near its atmosphere will mean higher percentage of find extra-terrestial lifeforms before even reaching the planet.
If through telescope and high tech equipment, we can tell that the surface temperature of the planet is constantly 15000 degrees celsius, we can safely confirm that it is for 99.999% sure that no lifeforms can exist there without being scorched to death immediately when placed in that environment.
This question is actually in relation to statistics and probabilities.
Guessing from past samples collected to predict the upcoming cycle(s).
But did you know that in the absence of information, the answer to that very question is actually 50-50? And it applies for all questions that requires the answer to be logic.
Logic, used in the context here does not mean, making sense.
It actually means "0" or "1" or, "true" or "false", and "yes" and "no".
And though we have smart brains telling us, no living thing can exist in temperatures of 15000 degree celsius, but have we, humans, actually seen all the living things of this universe already?
By disproving ideas which are unknown to us, are we proving facts which can only exist in our domain [in this case, our own planet ]?
But then again, Mars is not on our planet, is it?
Think.
Ponder over the first question again
"Is there life on Mars?"
Today is 24th July 2005
Time is 11:32pm
It's a Sunday
My work week starts on Monday.
In my weekdays, I try ways and means to disprove faults reported by customers and use statistics and probability to re-ensure customers that they are just a small statiscally anomaly which only happens when equipment, freshly out of their retail boxes, fail for no reason.
And they keep nodding upon hearing my "statistical anomaly" pitch.
You dig?
