Total Nut Job Tries to Prove Peter Klein's Case

Well, I was going to let my debate with Peter Klein rest, but this is just too rich of an object lesson in one of the differences in my view of profit opportunities and Peter's. Remember, Peter's view is that because of uncertainty:

 there are no objective profit opportunities to be alert to.

Peter's argument is that because of an uncertain world, we never know for sure if an action taken will be profitable and therefore no objective profit opportunities. For example, it would be considered a profit opportunity ex-ante, in my view, if someone thinks, "Hey, I'll go down to the deli and grab a sandwich."

But, given his view, Peter could object to this by saying, "Well, there are plenty of uncertainties that would make this action a loss. The man going down to the deli could get stabbed in the butt five times by a stranger."

I would argue that while this is an extreme possibility, it is not likely to even cross the mind of the man who desires a sandwich. In my view, in the real world, we are many times being imprecise and that we may view something ex-ante as a profit opportunity that ex-post turns out to be a major loss.

I mean, who the hell is going to think about getting stabbed in the butt five times by a stranger while considering heading out to stand in line to get sanwich?

But a nut job did just that. NyPo reports:

A thug followed a stranger into a Queens deli and repeatedly stabbed him in the buttocks, cops said today.

The assault, seen on shocking surveillance footage, occurred inside the store on 63rd Road in Rego Park around 5:45 p.m. Sunday.

The video shows the thug – wearing a white T-shirt, grey sweat pants and a black cap – enter the store before quickly pouncing on his unsuspecting victim and violently stabbing him in the buttocks several times before bolting from the store.

Police said there doesn’t seem to be any motive and that the attack was completely random.

The victim was treated for his injuries and is in stable condition, cops said.

Is this a loss for the guy who headed into the deli for a sandwich, for sure? Peter can argue, "I told you so." I'm going to say that in an uncertain, imprecise world, where anything can happen, that we don't consider many situations when considering "profit opportunities" and if we act on those ex-ante "profit opportunities" we could end up with an ex-post loss and a sore bleeding butt. However, I want to emphasize in my view, ex-ante, this looked like a profit opportunity. i.e. a few bucks for a a sandwich and a coffee and that is what the sandwich pursuer was alert to, and the possibility of getting stabbed in the butt never crossed his mind, that is, it was not part of his calculation when he considered heading for the sandwich.