do you think it's true or valid?

It's one of those annoying phrases (like 'Could have been worse') people use when they've got nothing valid / useful to say.

I don't find phrases like these unbearable (unless I'm hungover) though conversation in general would be greatly improved without them.

CRAP

It's pretty ghastly with that comma in it.

It's certainly true though. Worth thinking about for 30 seconds.

All of what could happen does. That is why what didn't happen didn't happen.
It couldn't.

Seems like something one would find on a philosophical quotes website when looking for a headline for one's myspace page.

Not me though, I'm original. I always use a Nick cave lyric.

My Myspace headline is "Livin' life to the X-treme and keep'n it REOL!!!"
and it has a picture where you can see down my shirt a little.
James Blunt plays a little diddy in the background and most of my friends are porn bots.

Edd Tastyhead wrote:It's one of those annoying phrases (like 'Could have been worse') people use when they've got nothing valid / useful to say.

I don't find phrases like these unbearable (unless I'm hungover) though conversation in general would be greatly improved without them.

CRAP

i did vote not crap on the quote but your point is valid and almost makes me want to change my vote...

this probably shouldn't change anyone's opinion of the phrase (in either a positive or negative direction) but it's attributed to dali.

japmn wrote:All of what could happen does. That is why what didn't happen didn't happen.
It couldn't.

No, this is really quite off. Here's an easy example. When a million people buy a Lottery ticket, every single one of them *could* win. Those are a million things that *could* happen. But once the drawing is held, out of those millions, maybe 0 or 1 or 2 or 5 people win. The other 999,995 "could have won" become "did not win". Thus, most of what could have happened there didn't happen.

It's one of the more basic things we've come to understand from Quantum Mechanics. The way shit works is that there are always a vast number of possible ways that things can work out. Until a specific event occurs that negates any of those possibilities, all of the potential outcomes are equally valid and are all just as "real". But once an event occurs that negates a possibility, it is no longer possible. It could no longer happen.

You *COULD* get hit by a 500' tall metal duck falling out of the sky when you walk out your door tomorrow morning. It's totally possible (though most folks would agree it's extremely unlikely). There are an infinite number of things that *could* happen tomorrow that won't happen. Almost everything that could happen doesn't actually happen.

Every single person here could be offered a kickass record deal with the label of their heart's desire, every one of us at 5pm tomorrow. It *COULD* happen. It won't, but it could.

scott wrote:

japmn wrote:All of what could happen does. That is why what didn't happen didn't happen.
It couldn't.

No, this is really quite off. Here's an easy example. When a million people buy a Lottery ticket, every single one of them *could* win. Those are a million things that *could* happen. But once the drawing is held, out of those millions, maybe 0 or 1 or 2 or 5 people win. The other 999,995 "could have won" become "did not win". Thus, most of what could have happened there didn't happen.

It's one of the more basic things we've come to understand from Quantum Mechanics. The way shit works is that there are always a vast number of possible ways that things can work out. Until a specific event occurs that negates any of those possibilities, all of the potential outcomes are equally valid and are all just as "real". But once an event occurs that negates a possibility, it is no longer possible. It could no longer happen.

You *COULD* get hit by a 500' tall metal duck falling out of the sky when you walk out your door tomorrow morning. It's totally possible (though most folks would agree it's extremely unlikely). There are an infinite number of things that *could* happen tomorrow that won't happen. Almost everything that could happen doesn't actually happen.

Every single person here could be offered a kickass record deal with the label of their heart's desire, every one of us at 5pm tomorrow. It *COULD* happen. It won't, but it could.

I guess if you don't believe God is omniscient and knows and caused the fate of all existence therefore negating chance and happenstance from the universe... IN WHICH CASE YOU ARE GOING TO HELL!!!

I'm just having a larf. I actually agree with everything you said, it's just fun to blah, blah, blah about shit. It keeps me from working while I'm at work.