My knowledge of logic and naive bayesian probability is naive and bayes-ic compared to a lot of much smarter people I know around here. But I found this an interesting concept: Flipping through “The De-Mathematisation of Logic” By Barry H. Slater and I came across this interesting set up: Bayes is used in logic for “belief” but in the literature they talk about the “Zero problem” – that is, it’s a bad thing when it’s zero because there’s no updating. But the author makes a good simple point. If 1=Belief and -1=Disbelief then what can 0 be? Wonder. 0=Wonder I like this. Three-valued, allows switch between “continuity of belief” (Bayes but where a 0 was undesirable) and classic logics which assign hard settings of TRUE / FALSE or “BELIEF / DISBELIEF” (although there’s plenty of inbetween ones in some folks’ formulations of belief, but this is the first time I’ve seen 0 for wonder before – or 0 being allowed at all. It’s like an inertia. Everything keeps going as it was, whatever it was, which in this case is “I wonder”, neither believing nor disbelieving.

My knowledge of logic and naive bayesian probability is naive and bayes-ic compared to a lot of much smarter people I know around here.

But I found this an interesting concept: Flipping through “The De-Mathematisation of Logic” By Barry H. Slater and I came across this interesting set up:

Bayes is used in logic for “belief” but in the literature they talk about the “Zero problem” – that is, it’s a bad thing when it’s zero because there’s no updating.

But the author makes a good simple point. If 1=Belief and -1=Disbelief then what can 0 be?

Wonder. 0=Wonder

I like this. Three-valued, allows switch between “continuity of belief” (Bayes but where a 0 was undesirable) and classic logics which assign hard settings of TRUE / FALSE or “BELIEF / DISBELIEF” (although there’s plenty of inbetween ones in some folks’ formulations of belief, but this is the first time I’ve seen 0 for wonder before – or 0 being allowed at all. It’s like an inertia. Everything keeps going as it was, whatever it was, which in this case is “I wonder”, neither believing nor disbelieving.

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