Saturday, July 10, 2010

Predicting consequences

There has been lots of discussion and some misunderstanding about predicting consequences. There is a difference between "predicting the future" and "predicting consequences".

Consequences - if this happens, then that might/should happen. It is about thinking ahead. Sometimes simple actions have important and often unintended consequences - good or bad.

In one student's example - predicting a car accident (a future event) is impossible. But if I am in a minor fender-bender car accident (both cars drivable), I need to check that no one was hurt, get to the side of the road safely and exchange driver, car and insurance information, and notify my insurance company. There are serious consequences for failing to do all of these things. All drivers should know this and be able to "predict the consequences" of their actions.

Would this keep you from driving? Probably not, but you understand that it is a possibility - there are consequences. If you never think about being in a car accident, you would have no idea what to do in that situation.

Thinking about the consequences does not mean you won't do something - just that you thought about it and made an informed decision. In fact, you may be encouraged to try new things as you see that the reward outweigh the risks so go ahead and just do it! That's the difference, and that's the point.

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