Originally Posted by
wphamilton
I don't think so. You need to understand that probability is predictive, and that statistics and probability are not synonymous.
But you can derive probabilities from statistical analysis of populations or events, and yes these are predictive for individual elements within the population. Ask your undergraduate math professor.
I never said that statistics and probability are the same thing.
As to what statistics/probability mean to the individual, I invite you to be more concrete and instead of saying it, please show me.
To predict is to estimate what will happen in the future. Kindly, show how prediction concerning populations works at the individual level, meaning that you show its practical value, if you can. For example:
If you take the prediction that one in seven people will die of heart problems, it is obvious such prediction has a practical value for any endeavor concerning the health care of the entire population, like knowing how many cardiologists will be required and such, but please point out the practical value for the individual.
What does the prediction say about the health of an individual's heart? Apart from regular checks which will already include the heart, what is that he can do after hearing that prediction? Wear an extra sweater? Does it mean that if he knows seven people one of them must have a bad heart? Obviously not. Please explain the, in your own words, "predictive for individual elements," of the 1 in 7 prediction.