the.com/conditional
It's the universe's fine print: nothing happens unless something else does first.
means Depending on a condition — true, valid, or in effect only if some other thing is also the case.
from From Latin 'condicio' (often spelled 'conditio'), a 'condition' or 'agreement,' which traces back to 'condicere,' to talk over or agree upon — from 'con-' (together) plus 'dicere' (to say). So a condition was literally something spoken and settled between parties; 'conditional' is what hangs on that spoken bargain. The word reached English through Old French in the late Middle Ages, carrying its sense of strings attached.
- logic core
- True unless the promise gets broken
- coding staple
- If-statements run nearly every program alive
- vacuous truth
- A false premise makes any claim technically true
- grammar mood
- English fakes it with would, could, should
- contracts
- Most deals hinge entirely on hidden conditions
monty hall problem — probability puzzle where switching doors after host reveals a goat increases your chances from 1/3 to 2/3
pascal's wager — 17th century argument that believing in god is rational because potential infinite reward outweighs finite cost
prisoner's dilemma — game theory scenario where two prisoners must conditionally decide to cooperate or betray, optimal individually but not collectively