underdogishere

J: Are we there yet?
Me: No.
J: Are you sure?
Me: Not entirely.
J: Then why did you say it, if you weren't sure?
Me: Because it seemed probable. But I can't be sure we aren't there. I can only be sure we're here. If you had asked me if we were here, I'd have been able to answer with certainty.
J: Are we here yet?
Me: Yes, absolutely.
J: Where's here?
Me: Right where we are, right now.
J (looking around): That's not very useful to know.
Me: That's why I can be certain. The more useful information is, the less certain you can be about it. The more certain you can be about something, the less useful it is. There's an inverse relationship between certainty and usefullness. That's Gregory's Uncertainty Principle.
J: You're too complicated.

Labels: Musing, Overheard