hypothetical scenarios
Theoretical what-ifs proposed
Hypothetical scenarios are imagined situations used to explore possibilities, test reasoning, or plan for contingencies.
They begin with "what if" and proceed from there: Let's consider a hypothetical scenario where the power grid fails.
The phrase appears in discussions of ethics, strategy, risk assessment, and thought experiments.
Often shortened to just "hypotheticals."
- counterfactualContrary-to-fact supposition
- what ifWords introducing a hypothesis
- alternate historyGenre reimagining past outcomes
- sliding doorsPanels moving on tracks
- trolley problemEthical sacrifice scenario
thought experiment · devil's advocate · premise · multiverse · dystopia · risk assessment · conjecture · parallel universe · paradox · cost-benefit analysis · reductio ad absurdum · on paper · daydream · wildcard · deduction · moral dilemma · pretend · philosophy
- Alternate Historyalternate history, alternate timeline, alternate timelines, alternate reality, alternate world
hypothetical scenariosempirical data
Facts from direct experience
case studies · hard evidence · eyewitness accounts · field observations