We want to get 80%-85% of predictions right, not 100%. Or else we calibrated our estimates in the wrong way.
Racism is predictable. It's predicted by interaction or lack thereof with people unlike you, people of other races.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Racism stems from a lack of interaction with diverse groups, leading to predictable prejudices.
In this quote, Nate Silver highlights the idea that racism is often a result of unfamiliarity and isolation from different racial groups. When individuals do not engage or interact with people who are different from them, they may develop preconceived notions and biases that can manifest as racism. The predictability of these attitudes underscores the importance of fostering dialogue and interactions among diverse communities to break down barriers and combat racism.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
During a discussion on social media about racial issues, you might share this quote to emphasize the need for diversity.
More from Nate Silver
All quotes βWe're not that much smarter than we used to be, even though we have much more information - and that means the real skill now is learning how to pick out the useful information from all this noise.
A lot of news is just entertainment masquerading as news.
One of the pervasive risks that we face in the information age, as I wrote in the introduction, is that even if the amount of knowledge in the world is increasing, the gap between what we know and what we think we know may be widening.
A lot of journalism wants to have what they call objectivity without them having a commitment to pursuing the truth, but that doesn't work. Objectivity requires belief in and a commitment toward pursuing the truth - having an object outside of our personal point of view.
The quest for certainty in forecasting outcomes can be the enemy of progress.
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Every religious tradition is rooted in mysteries I don't pretend to understand, including claims about what happens after we die. But this I know for sure: as long as we're alive, choosing resurrection is always worth the risk.
I didn't know what to say. I felt like crying, Goddammit everybody in the world wants an explanation for your acts and for your very being.
The first question here, then, is not "What is best for my soul?" nor is it even "What is most useful to humanity?" But-transcending both these limited aims-what function must this life fulfill in the great and secret economy of God?
In charity to all mankind, bearing no malice or ill will to any human being, and even compassionating those who hold in bondage their fellow men, not knowing what they do.
In all ages, hypocrites, called priests, have put crowns upon the heads of thieves, called kings.
The word is not just a sound or a written symbol. The word is a force; it is the power you have to express and communicate, to think, and thereby to create the events in your life. The word is the most powerful tool you have as a human; it is a tool of magic.