Taking Chances... Any Value in That?

At the end of his Dickens/Solstice perspective last month, Andrew challenged our congregation to come up with the topic of his next presentation. Perhaps that was taking a chance, but that's what he got and that's what he'll be sharing about this Sunday!

Is taking a chance the same as taking a risk? Is it a gamble? Is it a good thing?

Like most good topics at West Hill, it's all a matter of perspective, and unique ones are Andrew's particular specialty. Change is the only constant, they say, but the amount of change does vary, and right now West Hill is piling change upon change. Is the congregation taking chances? Should we be taking more or less? Andrew cannot guarantee future results - only food for thought.

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First Reading

“I haven't lived a perfect life. I have regrets. But that's from a lifetime of taking chances, making decisions, and trying not to be frozen. The only thing that I can do with my regrets is understand them.”

- Kevin Costner, actor

Second Reading

"Attempts to put numbers on chance and uncertainty take us into the mathematical realm of probability, which today is used confidently in any number of fields. [...] And yet, any numerical probability, I will argue — whether in a scientific paper, as part of weather forecasts, predicting the outcome of a sports competition or quantifying a health risk — is not an objective property of the world, but a construction based on personal or collective judgements and (often doubtful) assumptions."

- David Spiegelhalter, statistician