You’re Probably Right - Part 2
Below are some more entertaining quotes regarding ‘Probability.' Chances are you'll enjoy them. But then again, we could be wrong.
Democritus (b. 460 BCE)
"Everything existing in the universe is the fruit of chance."
Descartes, René (1596-1650)
Discourse on Method
"It is a truth very certain that when it is not in our power to determine what is true we ought to follow what is most probable."
Doob, Joseph Leo (1910-2004)
Quoted in Statistical Science
"While writing my book [Stochastic Processes] I had an argument with Feller. He asserted that everyone said "random variable" & I asserted that everyone said "chance variable." We obviously had to use the same name in our books, so we decided the issue by a stochastic procedure. That is, we tossed for it & he won."
Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan (1859-1930)
The Sign of Four
"When you have eliminated the impossible, what ever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."
Einstein, Albert (1879-1955)
"I will never believe that god plays dice with the universe."
Feller, (Vilim) William (1906-1970)
An Introduction to Probability Theory and its Applications
"Probability is a mathematical discipline whose aims are akin to those, for example, of geometry of analytical mechanics. In each field we must carefully distinguish 3 aspects of the theory: (a) the formal logical content, (b) the intuitive background, and (c) the applications. The character, and the charm, of the whole structure can not be appreciated without considering all 3 aspects in their proper relation."
Galton, Sir Francis (1822-1911)
"The 'Law of Frequency of Error' ...reigns with serenity & in complete self-effacement amidst the wildest confusion. The huger the mob . . . the more perfect is its sway. It is the supreme law of Unreason. When ever a large sample of chaotic elements is taken in hand . . . an unsuspected & most beautiful form of regularity proves to have been latent all along."
Gay, John (1685-1732)
"Lest men suspect your tale untrue,
Keep probability in view."
Gould, Stephen Jay (1941-2002)
"Misunderstanding of probability may be the greatest of all impediments to scientific literacy."
Gould, Stephen Jay (1941-2002)
"Probability does pervade the universe, and in this sense, the old chestnut about baseball imitating life really has validity. The statistics of streaks & slumps, properly understood, do teach an important lesson about epistemology, and life in general. The history of a species, or any natural phenomenon, that requires unbroken continuity in a world of trouble, works like a batting streak. All are games of a gambler playing with a limited stake against a house with infinite resources. The gambler must eventually go bust. His aim can only be to stick around as long as possible, to have some fun while he's at it, and, if he happens to be a moral agent as well, to worry about staying the course with honor!"
Wilde, Oscar (1854-1900)
"Always be a little improbable."
Yule, George Udny (1871-1951)
In a letter to Maurice Kendall
"Isn't it extraordinary how difficult it is to get a sample really random? Every possible precaution, as it may seem, sometimes fails to protect one. I remember Greenwood telling me that, in some experiments done by drawing different colored counters from a bag, there seemed to be a bias against one particular color. On testing, they concluded that this color had given the counters a slightly greasy surface, so that it tended to escape the sampler's fingers."
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