Definitions of risk - When people undergo certain policies, they’re typically attempting to mitigate the “risk” of something coming to be. How drastic the policy depends on how probable something is while also understanding the magnitude of it when it does take place. Creating the equation of risk = probability x magnitude gives us an understanding as to why things like nuclear war, which has never happened, is still a huge part of the Pentagon’s policy decisions.
When a timeframe of an argument is established, two common answers are made, the prerequisite and the idea of short circuiting. A prerequisite means that some part of an argument, typically on the link level or impact level, cannot happen unless the first argument is taken care of. For instance if the argument is made that the government should spend more money on education, a simple prerequisite of economic growth could be claimed. A government needs tax revenue before it’s able to allocate it. If an argument short circuits another one though it does the opposite. Instead of allowing an argument to happen, it instead stops it from taking place.