Allegory of a Coin: My Religious/Science Contemplations
Is it possible to predict the future? Chance is the likelihood of occurrence within a context. The more a context is explained or imagined, the more accurate we can be about the actual result. At what point is chance truly 100%, I wonder.
That context can be limited to an amount of time, space, content, and variables.
A simple example: A coin generally has a 50/50 chance of landing on either face.
Variables affect the actual result: there is a third surface to the coin which can be considered, the rim. Yes, it is POSSIBLE for a coin to land on the rim.
"What if the coin is being slammed down atop the hand after being flipped?" This introduces a new context to the coin being flipped. The tension of the thumb against the finger before the flip, the force at which the thumb hits the coin, where the thumb hits the coin, the amount of time which the coin is allowed to be suspended in the air, any wind in the air(caused by any number of factors weather, nearby bodies of water, etc), gravitational force in the area(affected by elevation at least)and so much more. The forces and variables influencing the coin as it flips is incredible. In the end, do most of them matter- probably not past the force of the thumb, where the thumb hit on the coin surface and time suspended in the air. Likely not. So is it necessary to define every single variable in the context? Only if the goal is to be 100% accurate. Is it possible to be truly 100% accurate? Possibly not- that would require some feat of defining infinity, would it not?