cat posts/2010-08-31-scott-adams-blog-the-illusion-of-winning-08302010.md
Scott Adams Blog: The Illusion of Winning 08/30/2010
// archive Originally published on my old blog, indiangeek.net, in 2010. Links and opinions may have aged.
Let's say that you and I decide to play pool. We agree to play eight-ball, best of five games. Our perception is that what follows is a contest to see who will do something called winning.
But I don't see it that way. I always imagine the outcome of eight-ball to be predetermined, to about 95% certainty, based on who has practiced that specific skill the most over his lifetime. The remaining 5% is mostly luck, and playing a best of five series eliminates most of the luck too.
via dilbert.com
I found this really insightful. It seems obvious when you read it but for some reason it doesn't seem to occur naturally to me.