Ontological vs. Epistemic Uncertainty
Two identical Earths: one with true randomness built in, one where uncertainty is only in our knowledge. Spot the differences? You can't; from the inside, they feel the same.
Transcript
[Two identical drawings of Earth] "A World with Genuine Ontological Uncertainty" vs. "A World with Only Epistemic Uncertainty" "CAN YOU SPOT TEN DIFFERENCES?" (upside down: "answer: no, because the subjective experience is identical")
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Free for classrooms, worksheets, slides and other non-commercial use under CC BY-NC 4.0, with credit to Ben Orlin.
Cartoon by Ben Orlin, Math with Bad Drawings. https://cartoons.mathwithbaddrawings.com/2022-04-05-ontological-vs-epistemic-uncertainty/ (CC BY-NC 4.0)