Comment on Bayes' Theorem Illustrated (My Way)

Fri, 04 Jun 2010 13:36:50 GMT

The bayesian method will examine what it has, and decide the probability of different situations. Other then that, it doesn't actually do anything. It takes an entirely different system to actually act on the information given. If it is a simple system and just assumes to be correct whichever one has the highest probability, then it isn't going to bother testing it.

But a Bayesian won't assume which one has the highest probability is correct. That's the one of the whole points of a Bayesian approach, every claim is probabilistic. If one claim is more likely than another, the Bayesian isn't going to lie to itself and say that the most probable claim now has a probability of 1. That's not Bayesianism. You seem to be engaging in what may be a form of the mind projection fallacy, in that humans often take what seems to be a high probability claim and then treat it like it has a much, much higher probability (this is due to a variety of cognitive biases such as confirmation bias and belief overkill). A good Bayesian doesn't do that. I don't know where you are getting this notion of a "simple system" that did that. If it did, it wouldn't be a Bayesian.

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