Percentainties

Percentainties is a speculative concept that explores the idea of quantifying uncertainty or confidence in a probabilistic manner, similar to how percentages are used to represent proportions. It suggests a framework where a degree of certainty, expressed as a value between 0% and 100%, is assigned to a statement, prediction, or belief. For example, instead of stating "It is likely to rain tomorrow," one might assign a percentainty of 70% to the statement "It will rain tomorrow."

The concept of percentainties aims to provide a more nuanced way of communicating subjective or objective levels of assurance. In fields like artificial intelligence or decision-making under uncertainty, assigning percentainties could help systems and individuals better understand the reliability of information. It bridges the gap between absolute certainty (100%) and complete doubt (0%), allowing for a spectrum of confidence levels.

While not a formally established mathematical or scientific term, the underlying principles resonate with Bayesian probability and confidence intervals used in statistics. The value assigned to a percentainty would ideally be derived from evidence, logical reasoning, or empirical data. The development and application of percentainties could lead to more transparent and robust methods for evaluating and communicating the trustworthiness of information in various contexts.