How Western probability models dominate modern systems, obscuring indigenous and non-linear epistemologies
Original framing: “Probability underlies much of the modern world – an engineering professor explains how it actually works” — The Conversation - Global
Scientific rigor is highlighted through discussion of probability's role in AI algorithms, risk assessment, and statistical inference, emphasizing its methodological strengths. At the same time, the article critiques the reductionist bias that can obscure complex system dynamics. This dual stance reflects a strong scientific grounding coupled with critical reflection.
The dominance of Western probability models is a historically rooted, scientifically powerful but culturally narrow lens that marginalises Indigenous, artistic, and spiritual ways of understanding uncertainty.
By exposing the paradox that claims of neutrality mask colonial power, the trickster perspective reveals the need for cross‑cultural, future‑oriented modelling that integrates diverse epistemologies. Systemic solutions must therefore weave Indigenous governance, decolonized risk assessment, interdisciplinary AI oversight, and holistic education to reconfigure the probabilistic foundations of modern systems.