More seriously, that aphorism begs the question. Yes, your hypothesis and your evidence have to be in perfectly balanced alignment. That is, from a Bayesian perspective, tautological. However, it doesn’t help you figure out how it is exactly that the adding gets done. It doesn’t help distinguish between hypotheses. For that we need Solomonoff’s lightsaber. I don’t see how saying “it (whatever ‘it’ is) adds up to (whatever ‘adding up to’ means) normality (which I think should be ‘reality’)” is at all helpful. Reality is reality? Evidence shouldn’t contradict itself? Cool story bro, but how does that help me?
It all adds up to normality, damn it!
What whats to what?
More seriously, that aphorism begs the question. Yes, your hypothesis and your evidence have to be in perfectly balanced alignment. That is, from a Bayesian perspective, tautological. However, it doesn’t help you figure out how it is exactly that the adding gets done. It doesn’t help distinguish between hypotheses. For that we need Solomonoff’s lightsaber. I don’t see how saying “it (whatever ‘it’ is) adds up to (whatever ‘adding up to’ means) normality (which I think should be ‘reality’)” is at all helpful. Reality is reality? Evidence shouldn’t contradict itself? Cool story bro, but how does that help me?
http://lesswrong.com/lw/29o/open_thread_may_2010_part_2/22cp?c=1