Perplexed comments on A note on the description complexity of physical theories - Less Wrong

19 Post author: cousin_it 09 November 2010 04:25PM

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Comment author: Perplexed 11 November 2010 12:50:35AM 0 points [-]

Which brings us back to an issue which I was debating here a couple of weeks ago: Is there a difference between an event being impossible, and an event being of measure zero?

Orthodox Bayesianism says there is no difference and strongly advises against thinking either to be the case. I'm wondering whether there isn't some way to make the idea work that there is a distinction to be made - that some things are completely impossible given a theory, while other things are merely of infinitesimal probability.

Comment author: timtyler 11 November 2010 10:31:22PM 2 points [-]

There's a proposal to use surreal numbers for utilities. Such an approach was used for go by Conway.

Comment author: wnoise 15 November 2010 10:14:05AM 0 points [-]

It might be more accurate to say that surreal numbers are a subset of the numbers that were invented by Conway to describe the value of game positions.

Comment author: Perplexed 12 November 2010 01:02:20AM 0 points [-]

Interesting suggestion. I ought to look into that. Thx.