It’s one of those phrases I just kinda nod my head and go “yeah” when I hear it. I’ve looked it up before, but the definition never stuck. Same thing happened with “survivorship bias,” but I eventually figured that one out.
I guess I need it explained in a different way for it to stick.
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Mutual exclusivity is when a thing can be either A or B, but if it’s A then the very fact that it’s A means that it can’t be B (and vice versa).
Let’s say you have a pet. I ask if it’s a dog or if it’s brown. It could possibly be a brown dog, so those choices *aren’t* mutually exclusive. However, if I ask you if it’s a dog or cat those *are* mutually exclusive: if it’s a dog it cannot possibly be a cat, and if it’s a cat it cannot possibly be a dog.
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