ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Probabilistic argumentation

Okay kiddo, let's talk about something called probabilistic argumentation.

Imagine that you have a jar with 10 red marbles and 10 blue marbles inside. If you close your eyes and pick one marble at random, what are the chances you will pick a red marble instead of a blue one?

Well, since there are equal amounts of red and blue marbles in the jar, the chance of picking a red one is 50% or 1 out of 2.

Probabilistic argumentation is a way of making arguments or decisions based on these kinds of odds or probabilities. It's like making an educated guess based on information and evidence you have, and understanding that there is always some level of uncertainty.

So, let's say you're trying to decide which game to play with your friend. You have two options: a game that you are really good at, but your friend doesn't like, or a game that you're not great at, but your friend loves playing.

You could use probabilistic argumentation to help you decide. You might think, "Well, there's a 90% chance I'll win at the game I'm good at, but only a 40% chance I'll win at the game my friend likes. But, there's also a 50% chance my friend might get bored if we play my game, so maybe it's better to play the game they like."

By using probabilities like this, you can make smarter decisions that are based on the best possible outcome for you and those around you. It's a way of understanding that there is always some risk involved in any decision, but you can minimize that risk by considering all the available information.