A philosophical treatise of universal induction
type: Item
instance of: scholarly article
title: A philosophical treatise of universal induction
zbMATH Open document ID: 1296.03007
author: Samuel Rathmanner
author: Marcus Hutter
published in: Entropy
publication date: 2014-08-26T00:00:00Z
full work available at URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/1105.5721
review text: Summary: Understanding inductive reasoning is a problem that has engaged mankind for thousands of years. This problem is relevant to a wide range of fields and is integral to the philosophy of science. It has been tackled by many great minds ranging from philosophers to scientists to mathematicians, and more recently computer scientists. In this article we argue the case for Solomonoff induction, a formal inductive framework which combines algorithmic information theory with the Bayesian framework. Although it achieves excellent theoretical results and is based on solid philosophical foundations, the requisite technical knowledge necessary for understanding this framework has caused it to remain largely unknown and unappreciated in the wider scientific community. The main contribution of this article is to convey Solomonoff induction and its related concepts in a generally accessible form with the aim of bridging this current technical gap. In the process we examine the major historical contributions that have led to the formulation of Solomonoff induction as well as criticisms of Solomonoff and induction in general. In particular, we examine how Solomonoff induction addresses many issues that have plagued other inductive systems, such as the black ravens paradox and the confirmation problem, and compare this approach with other recent approaches.
Mathematics Subject Classification ID: 03A10
Mathematics Subject Classification ID: 03B48
Mathematics Subject Classification ID: 68Q30
zbMATH DE Number: 6334240
zbMATH Keywords: sequence prediction
zbMATH Keywords: inductive inference
zbMATH Keywords: Bayes rule
zbMATH Keywords: Solomonoff prior
zbMATH Keywords: Kolmogorov complexity
zbMATH Keywords: Occam's razor
zbMATH Keywords: philosophical issues
zbMATH Keywords: confirmation theory
zbMATH Keywords: black raven paradox
zbMATH Keywords: Solomonoff induction
zbMATH Keywords: algorithmic information theory
MaRDI profile type: Publication
OpenAlex ID: W2165552039
Wikidata QID: Q55951231
arXiv ID: 1105.5721
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DOI: 10.3390/E13061076
description: scientific article; zbMATH DE number 6334240