Alternative History talk:Possibility vs plausibility

Possible vs. Probable vs. Plausible
I'll add "probable" into the mix and also say that I think "plausible" has an element of believability associated with it.

Possible = anything that could conceivably happen without violating the laws of nature.

Probable = the most likely thing to occur given a set of circumstances

Plausible = an event which is both believable and not unlikely.

Examples:
 * The ancient Greeks could have developed steam powered paddle boats but that is very unlikely. So these boats may be possible, but are not probable or plausible.
 * If Christopher Columbus was unable to find backing from Spain, it is probable that he would seek funding elsewhere and it is plausible that he would find funding elsewhere.

All events in an alternative timeline must at least be possible. Most (but not necessarily all) events in an alternative timeline should also be plausible.

It should also be remembered that many events in Our Time Line are not probable and would also not be considered plausible if they had not actually occurred. --AirshipArmada 22:52, 29 Jun 2005 (UTC)