Die Fiktion der wahrscheinlichen Realität

In her new book, Italian sociologist Elena Esposito explores the parallelism between modern fiction and probability theory, both of which developed in the late 17th century. The central thesis of the book is that both represent modern forms of reality duplication that respond to changes in society. Fiction evolves as an explicitly invented, alternative reality that nonetheless contributes to the understanding and experience of all members of society. Probability and statistics, on the other hand, are fictions related to the present future, allowing decisions to be made in the present that will lead to future presents— which will then be different from what was previously thought. Elena Esposito teaches sociology at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia.