Luck, is it worth believing in

[none]

I don't know much about luck but if I have something fortunate happen to me sometimes I say it's luck

 

[bilby]

No.

 

[none]

No.

It's it so ridiculous

 

[Keith&Co.]

Even those who do believe in luck say there's not much point in it. As soon as you depend on the flighty bitch, she stabs you in the eye with a tuning fork.

So clearly, the best way to deal with Luck is to get as far as possible from depending on her, thus, don't even believe in her.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

It's bad luck to believe in luck.

 

[braces_for_impact]

"Believe" in luck per se? No. Recognize that circumstances almost entirely beyond your control could be described as "lucky" or fortunate? Absolutely. People don't do this enough, thinking themselves masters of their own fate. For people to do otherwise is often scary to them, because it implies a loss of control that people don't like to think about.

Consider the circumstances of your birth, something none of us has any control over. When were you born? If it's this or last century your odds of having a better life are much better than being born several hundred or thousands of years ago. Where were you born? Your life is much more comfortable and stable of you were born in the West than say, Syria or Pakistan. What other circumstances were you born into? A middle class or wealthy family? Then you'll have chances others may never receive. Same with skin color. Have a great work ethic? Blessed with intelligence? Attractive or ugly? Between upbringing, psychology and genetics, how much credit can you really take for those? One could even have almost everything breaking their way except for one lousy determining factor which could change everything. Many people were lucky in that they were born into a middle class family that had good employment, good medical insurance and into the wealthiest country in the world. Then their kid got an awful illness or had a bad accident when they were young, decimating the family finances and causing a lot of pain and suffering that is born by the entire extended family.

Luck, good or bad. It happens to everyone. There's no need to believe in it, it just is a description of your personal circumstances. One thing it does to those that realize how influential it is - it increases compassion. It makes the idea of pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps ring somewhat hollow.

 

[beero1000]

I've yet to see anyone actually define what they mean by "luck". Sometimes good things happen, sometimes bad things happen. Sometimes there are runs of one or the other, so what?

 

[T.G.G. Moogly]

I've yet to see anyone actually define what they mean by "luck". Sometimes good things happen, sometimes bad things happen. Sometimes there are runs of one or the other, so what?

Capitalize it and you have a god.

Luck obviously isn't real but it is enjoyable to pretend or believe otherwise.

 

[beero1000]

I've yet to see anyone actually define what they mean by "luck". Sometimes good things happen, sometimes bad things happen. Sometimes there are runs of one or the other, so what?

Capitalize it and you have a god.

Luck obviously isn't real but it is enjoyable to pretend or believe otherwise.

But what is it?

I can't say it obviously isn't real unless we can agree on what it is in the first place.

 

[Keith&Co.]

But what is it?.

'Luck' is when the odds of success are tilted slightly in your favor by capricious demi-sentient forces at work in the universe.
Not to be confused with miraculous success which is the result of a powerful agency with full intent, or with the success gained by perseverance, hard work, sweat, and all those virtues Dad used to go on and on about while explaining why he wasn't going to bail you out this time, usually during or in anticipation of a crisis bbrought on by half-assed dilettante laziness or lack of proper prior planning.

Also, it dresses like a female Leprechaun.

 

[Elixir]

Luck is the word that we use to describe networks of cause and effect relationships that are beyond our perception, or of which we are only subliminally aware.

 

[T.G.G. Moogly]

Capitalize it and you have a god.

Luck obviously isn't real but it is enjoyable to pretend or believe otherwise.

But what is it?

I can't say it obviously isn't real unless we can agree on what it is in the first place.

Luck is a cherished illusion. It makes people buy powerball tickets and go to church on Sunday.

 

[Atheos]

I think others have hit on a valid point in this thread already. There are many circumstances that are beyond our control but which have huge effect on the probability of success, personal happiness and well being. Some people are born into wealth, others into poverty. Some are born with healthy brains, others with some form of mental retardation. Even among those who don't suffer from retardation per se, there are different levels of intelligence potential. Few have the mental capacity to be the next Einstein no matter how hard they study and try.

"Luck" is an ill-defined personification of untold legions of factors that result in the fortunes and misfortunes of life. Time, place, capacity, resources and political climate are just a few categories of such factors.

 

[abaddon]

A lot of the "fortunes" and "misfortunes" are subjective matters of perceptions. We judge them based in arbitrary values. Same with luck. It's not a thing nor a collection of things or events. You're lucky if by chance you got something you value.

It's silly to believe in it because "it" doesn't exist. Also, if you rely on luck you make yourself a victim of circumstance (whether the result seems positive or negative).

Stoics had some great wisdom. Take responsibility for what you can control, be grateful for what fortunes happen but recognize they're not in your control, and prepare yourself for less fortunate events so you don't make yourself miserable wishing life were any different than it is.

 

[Bronzeage]

I don't know much about luck but if I have something fortunate happen to me sometimes I say it's luck

Of course there is such a thing as luck.

Random chance never creates uniformity. There are always clusters of events in any random sequence. "Luck" is when you happen to be there when a cluster appears in the sequence.

Unfortunately, there is no way to predict or influence the appearance of a cluster. No such luck.

 

[Angry Floof]

It's worth believing in in the same way that believing in karma or magic or gods can be worth believing in -
if you expect good things, you'll get much better things than if you expect bad things.

If you believe in luck but also believe you don't have it, life can possibly be shit for you.

Derren Brown The Secret of Luck

 

[Malintent]

"Luck" is a kind of cognitive bias, in the category of "outcome bias" - Judging a decision based on the outcome. It may have been a poor decision (low probability of success), but in light of a positive outcome, one feels "lucky". When you feel lucky, you are suffering from outcome bias.

- - - Updated - - -

It's worth believing in in the same way that believing in karma or magic or gods can be worth believing in -
if you expect good things, you'll get much better things than if you expect bad things.

If you believe in luck but also believe you don't have it, life can possibly be shit for you.

Derren Brown The Secret of Luck

I really like Derren Brown... his "Mind Control" series is great to watch too. I'll check that video out later (45 minutes!!)

 

[ronburgundy]

The are two very distinct concepts of "luck". There is the concept where luck is just randomly variable events beyond one's control that because they vary will just happen to sometimes produce a positive result for a person (good luck) or a negative result (bad luck). Note that since many outcomes affect different people differently, the same event can be good luck for one and bad luck for others.

That concept of luck is rational and clearly does "exist"

The other concept is of "luck" as an actual causal force itself the produces the outcomes. That is superstitious woo that like "god" imposes a personally beneficial order onto the universe were none exists.

 

[Malintent]

Ron's definition is good. That is what "luck" basically is. My description is more about where "luck" comes from, and what it means to detect it (be "lucky")

 

[Australian_Composer]

Is ' luck ' worth believing in?

Try believing in it & see if you get lucky?