I greatly enjoyed watching this chat with Stuart Firestein, professor of Columbia University who teaches not only the Introduction to Neuroscience but also a course called "Ignorance: What We Don't Know." I learned that the course is based on the idea that ignorance is not the opposite of knowledge, but rather a necessary part of the scientific process. One thing I find to be interesting is how Firestein explores how scientists approach uncertainty and ignorance, and how they use these concepts to guide their research, by inviting different scientists to class and just discuss what they do not/yet to find out to students. Students learn about the ways in which scientists use uncertainty and prediction to guide their research, and how they grapple with the limitations of their knowledge and understanding. If I were the interviewer, I would like to ask the followings questions: In your course on ignorance, you emphasize the importance of embracing and learning from uncertainty. How can individuals in other fields or industries apply this mindset to their own work? How can individuals cultivate a willingness to embrace uncertainty, and what are some strategies for dealing with the discomfort and anxiety that uncertainty can sometimes cause?

I found that this interview provided some insight that aided my understanding of Palmer’s book. Palmer's beliefs around weather and climate modeling are based on the understanding that these systems are inherently complex and subject to multiple sources of uncertainty. He has argued that traditional deterministic modeling approaches, which assume perfect knowledge of initial conditions and model parameters, are limited in their ability to capture the true variability of these systems. Instead, Palmer advocates for the use of ensemble modeling techniques, which generate a range of possible outcomes based on different initial conditions and model configurations. As we all know, uncertainty plays a big part in Palmer’s acknowledgement in weather and climate forecasting. I find it particularly interesting that he has argued that uncertainty is not a weakness but a fundamental aspect of these systems and that it is essential to communicate this uncertainty to policymakers and the public. Palmer advocates for the use of probabilistic forecasting approaches, which provide a range of possible outcomes and their associated probabilities, rather than single deterministic forecasts. Some relevant questions to ask Tim Palmer could include: How do you see climate modeling evolving in the next decade, and what role do you think ensemble modeling and uncertainty quantification will play in this evolution? How can scientists and policymakers work together to ensure that uncertainty is appropriately considered in climate change policy discussions?

I greatly enjoyed the conversation between Professor Goodman and Professor Gilbert in this episode of Prediction and Psychology. One of the more surprising information I learned in this video was that for the most part, most people care a great deal about accuracy when making predictions about their future. I was particularly interested in this because of how this ties in with when Professor Goodman was approached with the question why she is so adamant over accuracy so it was interesting to hear from a psychologist's POV on how most people actually do care about the accuracy of their so-called predictions. And as a side note, another surprising bit of information I learned in this interview was that there has been extensive research over how different species other than humans might also be capable of predicting their futures and therefore amend actions. One question I wanted to ask Professor Gilbert is that, if most people indeed obsess and care about the accuracy of their predictions, in other words a lot of people attempt to avoid the bad outcome and get to the good outcome when making predictions about their futures, are there fundamental biases (special selection) on the questions they choose to ask/actions they choose to do in order to maximize their possibility of getting to that better outcome?