Bugmaster comments on Why Bayes? A Wise Ruling - Less Wrong

13 Post author: Vaniver 25 February 2013 03:52PM

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Comment author: Bugmaster 25 February 2013 08:08:52PM *  1 point [-]

The prior here (A has stolen B's baby) is actually quite low. It just doesn't happen very often.

I know I'm nitpicking, but is the prior really that low in Solomon's case ? In our modern times, things like that almost never happen, but Solomon was living in Old Testament times (metaphorically speaking, seeing as the Solomon we're talking about here is just a character in a book). And the Old testament makes few legal distinctions between children and other kinds of property. Stealing them would still be a big deal, but hardly improbable.

Comment author: novalis 25 February 2013 09:16:47PM 1 point [-]

OK, then maybe the prior is high. So what? The point is that Solomon didn't consider it. I'm not saying his test was useless or his decision was wrong. I'm saying that the word "Bayes" is being used as an applause light rather than for its meaning!

Comment author: Bugmaster 25 February 2013 09:22:48PM 1 point [-]

Yeah, that's why I said I was merely nitpicking.