[trigvi]

Every single thing one does in life is a gamble that carries a probability of success.

Getting a degree. Investing in a business. Investing in a relationship. Having kids. Smoking. Booking a flight cheaper but with no possibility of cancellation. Moving town. Not moving town.

I could go on forever.

Everything is a gamble. Some forms of gambling are more socially acceptable than others.

The difference, in everyhthing, is emotional control and knowing how much you stand to lose if it goes wrong.

[fraboniface]

We'll have won politics the day people understand that individual responsibility doesn't work at scale, and that, on average, people just respond to incentives.

[philipallstar]

If you don't incentivise individual responsibility, you don't get it.

[gzread]

The difference is that "good gambling" has a positive expectation value. Getting a degree confers knowledge that you think enables you to do new and valuable things that exceed the cost of the degree. Booking without cancellation saves money on average if you are more certain of your travel plans than the airline. Smoking makes you feel good, I'm told. I wouldn't do that.