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ShowingImportancePrizesTopicLow-probability risk7 claims

Reasoning about, and evidential limits on, very unlikely high-consequence events: rare-event probability claims, tail risks, and how much data or argumentation can bound them. Not about ordinary-frequency or well-measured risks.

Core-damage accidents in commercial nuclear reactors have occurred historically at a rate on the order of one per few thousand reactor-years
VerifiedThe claim traces to reliable primary sources through a clear chain of evidence.constitutionempirical · derivedA factual claim that rests on inference from other evidence rather than direct observation.constitutionNuclear power safetyProbabilistic risk assessmentimportance · minorImportance 0.35, from 0 to 1 · minor: narrow or largely settled, cheap to get right. Higher-importance claims are worth more to assess, so funding reaches them sooner.constitution
Standard statistical methods yield confidence bounds on a system's failure rate from failure-free operational exposure
UnassessedNo current assessment. Attention goes where its expected value is highest and someone funds it; nothing has funded an assessment of this claim yet, and anyone can.constitutionempirical · derivedA factual claim that rests on inference from other evidence rather than direct observation.constitutionStatistical Uncertainty AnalysisSafety assuranceimportance · settledImportance 0.15, from 0 to 1 · settled: uncontested, so low even when much depends on it. Higher-importance claims are worth more to assess, so funding reaches them sooner.constitution
The probability of error in a safety argument bounds the confidence it can provide about low-probability risks
SupportedEvidence favors the claim, but the chain is incomplete or the sources are secondary.constitutionempirical · derivedA factual claim that rests on inference from other evidence rather than direct observation.constitutionSafety assuranceimportance · notableImportance 0.50, from 0 to 1 · notable: a contested point in a live debate (also the default before judging). Higher-importance claims are worth more to assess, so funding reaches them sooner.constitution
Published LHC black hole risk analyses do not establish that catastrophic risk is negligible.
ContestedCredible evidence or argument exists on multiple sides.constitutionevaluativeA judgment of worth or quality against some standard: good, fair, effective.constitutionLHC safetyMicro black holesSafety assuranceimportance · notableImportance 0.45, from 0 to 1 · notable: a contested point in a live debate (also the default before judging). Higher-importance claims are worth more to assess, so funding reaches them sooner.constitution
Statistical testing alone cannot demonstrate the ultra-low failure rates required of safety-critical systems
UnassessedNo current assessment. Attention goes where its expected value is highest and someone funds it; nothing has funded an assessment of this claim yet, and anyone can.constitutionempirical · derivedA factual claim that rests on inference from other evidence rather than direct observation.constitutionSafety assuranceimportance · settledImportance 0.20, from 0 to 1 · settled: uncontested, so low even when much depends on it. Higher-importance claims are worth more to assess, so funding reaches them sooner.constitution
Bank value-at-risk models understated the frequency of extreme losses before the 2008 financial crisis
UnassessedNo current assessment. Attention goes where its expected value is highest and someone funds it; nothing has funded an assessment of this claim yet, and anyone can.constitutionempirical · derivedA factual claim that rests on inference from other evidence rather than direct observation.constitution2008 financial crisisFinancial EconomicsProbabilistic risk assessmentimportance · settledImportance 0.20, from 0 to 1 · settled: uncontested, so low even when much depends on it. Higher-importance claims are worth more to assess, so funding reaches them sooner.constitution
Pre-Challenger official estimates of Space Shuttle failure risk were far below the realized failure rate
UnassessedNo current assessment. Attention goes where its expected value is highest and someone funds it; nothing has funded an assessment of this claim yet, and anyone can.constitutionempirical · derivedA factual claim that rests on inference from other evidence rather than direct observation.constitutionSpace Shuttle programProbabilistic risk assessmentimportance · settledImportance 0.20, from 0 to 1 · settled: uncontested, so low even when much depends on it. Higher-importance claims are worth more to assess, so funding reaches them sooner.constitution

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