The future is never certain so when you tell people nothing is going to happen on 2012.......?

Question

Aren't you in fact making a prediction that nothing is going to happen? There is probability and improbability and to calculate the variables from now up till 2012 leaves a lot of room for error in any probability calculation right?

Note: I'm not saying i believe the 2012 conspiracy theories, some of them are just outright silly, but now that i think about it more it seems like we are making predictions about the future by saying the world won't end.

Answer 1

Science is about making predictions.

Those predictions are then tested to see if our hypotheses are supported.

So I don't think it is untoward to make predictions based on science.

However, most of us use careful wording to express the point that it is very unlikely, and then attempt to address all the silly predictions that the various hoaxes make, to show that there is no evidence to support such a cataclysmic event.

Answer 2

So now we are going to split hairs and enter into semantics? Ok, if that is the case then, yes, "something" will happen in 2012. But I am sure you understand the context of the question and therefore the context of the answers given.

If I were asked "Are we all going to die in 2012?" I suppose the correct answer to that would be "Yes. Of course we are all going to die in 2012, in fact we are all going to die NOW. Unless someone becomes immortal, everyone is going to die today, and next year and the year after...."

Answer 3

All the evidence is that 2012 will be the same as any other year. There is no reason to think any different. Yes, it is a prediction. So is the prediction that 2013 will be the same as any other year.

Answer 4

  The future is certain but mostly unpredictable,there is no reason to believe anything catastrophic will occur in 2012.

Answer 5

you are exactly correct in that when the response to "Are we all gonna die?" is "No"  we are being every bit as moronic as Nostrildamus... making claims with no data.

it is just so TIRING debunking the same stupid things over and over... but they keep coming back at you, like Jason (except this time he is wearing a football helmet, not a hockey mask, and he rides to school on the short bus... a REALLY short bus).

Still, claiming "Tomorrow the Sun will come up"  should never have to be disclaimed with "Unless a giant asteroid we don't know about hits the Earth and everything blows up"

Fasten your seatbelts, auto accidents are REAL threat to you.

Answer 6

** TIME OUT **  just because a chick winks at you at a bar, doesn't mean you are going to score...  The more practical answer is "the world will not end because of a Mayan Calendar or a misaligned planet system".  There is clearly a solar cycle that is scheduled to become heavily active in 2011 into 2012 and there will be problems, but there is Iran, Afghanistan, Georgia, North Korea, Sudan, Venezuela and on and on...

The practical or orthodox "will the end in 2012" is wrong; however it will end for some, plenty of people have proven themselves to be drunks, thieves, rapist and con-artist, sooooooo  lets leave it at that...

What is borderline "silly" (nice way of saying stupid) is that 2,012 times a day some tard post "is the world going to end 2012!

Answer 7

Well now, of course, you are right about predictions and probability calculations, so you can hardly dispute mine either.  I'm telling you now that my math says well will all be destroyed in an hour.  Sorry I don't have time to explain...

Answer 8

You can't exclude that the world is going to end by something unknown.

But as soon as you have a specific reason why the world should end (Bible sayz so, Planet X, Large Hole Creator, cosmic rays, aliens, Nostradamus predicted the South Ossetian war) you can apply logic and check the arguments - and usually say: No, that is not going to happen. Because if we can't observe one of the predictions of your Armageddon theory, we can be sure that it can't happen like you predict.

Nobody can help us, when suddenly something currently unknown happens. But the chance for this happening, is the same for every day in the future.  

Answer 9

Yeah, you're right, but what's wrong with making predictions? Seems like a pretty safe one, if you ask me.

Answer 10

They are actually just trying to talk themselves out of it happening.

I'm afraid that won't work.

Answer 11

>The future is never certain so when you tell people nothing is going to happen on 2012.......

>Aren't you in fact making a prediction that nothing is going to happen?

Yes. And of course we can't be certain that nothing apocalyptic will happen. What we CAN be certain of, though, is that according to our knowledge, the chances of something apocalyptic happening in 2012 are not significantly larger than the chances of something happening in 2011 or 2013. It's kind of like we can't be sure that a particular dice will not roll a six, but we CAN be sure that, according to our knowledge, the chances of it rolling a six are no larger than the chances of another dice rolling a six, and furthermore that they are approximately one in six.

Answer 12

I think that most "end of the world" claims are so far outside of any scientific reasoning, that for practical purposes "nothing" is an appropriate answer.

Answer 13

My boilerplate answer to the 2012 questions begins "Scientists don't expect anything out of the ordinary to happen in the year 2012..." I deliberately worded it that way because I share your concerns.

Answer 14

There is absolutely nothing special about 2012 to make anyone think anything will happen. There is no greater chance of the world ending in 4 years than today or a billion years from now. Every day has the same probability to be the last day ever.

I don't know why people are constantly predicting the end of the world, no one will be around to know if they were right.

Answer 15

2008-2016

Answer 16

All I'm saying is that you don't know, since you freely admit you can't predict the future, and thus, all discussion must remain speculative, not insistent on any preparations or actions one "ought" to take.

Answer 17

The fact that stating 'nothing will happen in 2012' refers specifically to the specific wacko claims of the doomsdayers should be self evident.

However, one should also consider that, if I say 'nothing will happen in 2012' and I'm WRONG, nobody will be around to complain to me.....