Alicorn comments on The Amanda Knox Test: How an Hour on the Internet Beats a Year in the Courtroom - Less Wrong

42 Post author: komponisto 13 December 2009 04:16AM

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Comment author: Alicorn 22 February 2010 12:39:55AM 4 points [-]

Something can be metaphysically/logically impossible without it being okay to assign exactly-0 to it. Epistemic probability is what we're really representing here - I mean, even something as uncertain-to-me as the current weather conditions in the red spot on Jupiter is exactly one way. But it's not useful to represent that single-ness of weather conditions because I can't access them. I similarly can't usefully access absolute epistemic certainty about even simple math and logic. I'm a broken machine; I cannot handle perfect surety.

Comment author: Jack 22 February 2010 03:08:53AM 1 point [-]

It isn't that simple. Most of the results we get from Bayes theorem we get by deduction. For example, the Dutch book argument, the most common justification given for Bayesian epistemology in the first place, relies on deduction. So does nearly every other important result we get from Bayes theorem. So when you say to someone: take this evidence and act rationally that may imply that that person not get her deductions wrong. This is why, afaict most Bayesians assume logical omniscience. See here. Apparently there have been attempts to weaken logical omniscience and maybe someone here has one in mind... but I haven't heard it. Obviously it is that case the humans, as a matter of psychological fact can screw up deduction. But this is basically like saying that as a matter of psychological fact humans aren't perfect Bayesian rationalists. The whole theory isn't supposed to be descriptive, it is an ideal to strive toward.