Sometimes the adjective plausible is used as a synonym for possible. And it's not exactly the same. The nuances matter and, depending on the context, a lot. Talking about plausibility involves a certain degree of acceptance, of social consensus. The term, which comes from plausibilis, in Latin, is formed from the verb plaudere (to applaud) and the suffix -ible which would indicate possibility.

Thus, to speak of something plausible, according to the origin of the word, would mean that it is worthy of receiving recognition, admiration (applause); in addition, it involves acceptance, it implies a basic coherence in the argument, which makes sense in our frames of reference and morals, it is also linked to the idea of ​​being something recommendable, for its positive charge. This would be one of the differences between something that is simply possible, that is likely to happen, materialize, be a reality ...

It doesn't matter if we are talking about something that is likely, which would mean that by analyzing a specific situation in the present, various factors are observed and evaluated that indicate that something can happen almost certainly or at a very high level. of probability, as there are many good reasons to think that it will be so. Probability admits level or degree while the condition of plausibility is associated with the idea of ​​something that, at the beginning, could be plausible, admissible, credible, convincing ..., even if it doesn't end up happening. The plausibility helps to project future scenarios and, as Elisabet Roselló points out in an interesting article in the magazine Telos: “It is from what we consider plausible that we build the images of other possible worlds. (...) Our ability to interact with uncertainty also has to do with our ability to deal with unpleasant possibilities. "

Democratic politics must be not only probable — predictable and certain — but also plausible — convenient and acceptable. It is about making possible and probable what is necessary, urgent, convenient. This exercise in predictability may seem tedious or boring. But democracy that solves real problems of the people must be safe and, to some extent, boring. The opposite only feeds populist and radical shortcuts.