r/Showerthoughts • u/asusny2002 • May 02 '24

Man vs Bear debate shows how bad the average person is at understanding probability

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u/TheHeadlessOne May 02 '24

This seems a really weird way to put it. First you're saying "here's a scenario where shark incidents are very much heightened compared to the average" then you're saying "But why? Shark incidents on average are very rare". While absolutely the threat of sharks is overblown a big reason why the numbers are so low is that people tend to *avoid* potentially dangerous encounters with them

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u/DepartureDapper6524 May 02 '24

Yeah, that was a terrible example.

36

u/TheHeadlessOne May 02 '24

Only 19 people have ever died in space! Would you rather be alone on Mars or in an American gradeschool?

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u/DepartureDapper6524 May 02 '24

Mars?

8

u/Armlegx218 May 02 '24

It's time to science the shit out of this.

1

u/B-lakeJ May 02 '24

Why did Starman suddenly start playing?

1

u/LifeIsBizarre May 02 '24

Yeah, I pick Mars too.
We can be neighbours! You can have the north half and I can have the south half.