Monday, November 26, 2012

Counterfactual gobbledygook

What would have happened if the immigrants never came to the U.S.?

2 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

No idea, as the results of such a complex change would be unpredictable.

Be careful: What is the real agenda of the person asking you this unanswerable question that invites wild speculation?

Such counterfactuals may be amusing and provocative when incorporated into a work of fiction, but are troublesome as a substitute for actual history.

If someone thinks that this question is actually answerable, please elaborate.

11/26/2012 7:21 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

A "counterfactual" is what we used to call a "wrong answer" on a history test.

11/26/2012 7:25 PM  

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