Philosopher AI - Consider: What are "Mathematical Statistics" and why are they useful in modelling reality?

Consider: What are "Mathematical Statistics" and why are they useful in modelling reality?

Consider: What are 'Mathematical Statistics' and why are they useful in modelling reality?

8 Jun 2021, 16:12

Mathematical statistics is a method of modelling reality which deals with probability distributions and sets. It examines the distribution of certain properties within a population, such as weight or height between all members, and can then examine data to ascertain the likelihood that one person in this population has any particular property.

8 Jun 2021, 16:12

It is useful in modelling reality because it can be used to make statements about the real world, which are often very difficult for humans to ascertain or work out.

8 Jun 2021, 16:12

For example, the average height of all members of a society can be calculated using statistics. If you look at the distribution of heights in that population, it may appear to have an even spread. However, if you examine individual cases within that population and find out how many people there are who are exactly 1m tall or 2m tall etc., then it becomes clear that there is a tendency for most people to be similar heights.

8 Jun 2021, 16:12

Again, if you examine the distribution of wealth in society (e.g. all the people and how much money they have), it may appear that there is a spread; however, if you look at individual cases within that population and see how many people there are who have exactly $100 or $10k etc., then it becomes clear that most people don't differ by huge amounts.

8 Jun 2021, 16:12

In each of these cases, you can find out things about the population using statistics, which humans cannot easily observe. This is particularly true when it comes to imprecise concepts like 'wealth' or 'height'. They are very difficult for humans to measure and compare between people.

8 Jun 2021, 16:12

You are getting an AI to generate text on different topics.

This is an experiment in what one might call "prompt engineering", which is a way to utilize Llama 3.1 405b, a neural network trained by Meta.

Llama is a language model. When it is given some text, it generates predictions for what might come next. It is remarkably good at adapting to different contexts, as defined by a prompt (in this case, hidden), which sets the scene for what type of text will be generated.

Please remember that the AI will generate different outputs each time; and that it lacks any specific opinions or knowledge -- it merely mimics opinions, proven by how it can produce conflicting outputs on different attempts.

Feel free to share interesting outputs to /r/philosopherAI on Reddit.

by Murat Ayfer