Related papers: A nonBayesian view of Hempel's paradox of the rave…
Two types of approximation to the paradoxical Russell Set are presented, one approximating it from below, one from above. It is shown that any lower approximation gives rise to a better approximation containing it, and that any upper…
In 1957, Lindley published "A statistical paradox" in Biometrika, revealing a fundamental conflict between frequentist and Bayesian inference as sample size approaches infinity. We present a new paradox of a different kind: a conflict…
Observational data about human behavior is often heterogeneous, i.e., generated by subgroups within the population under study that vary in size and behavior. Heterogeneity predisposes analysis to Simpson's paradox, whereby the trends…
This paper presents an approach for investigating the nature of semantic information captured by word embeddings. We propose a method that extends an existing human-elicited semantic property dataset with gold negative examples using crowd…
Agents' judgment depends on perception and previous knowledge. Assuming that previous knowledge depends on perception, we can say that judgment depends on perception. So, if judgment depends on perception, can agents judge that they have…
G\"odel's second incompleteness theorem is standardly understood as showing that no sufficiently strong, consistent theory of arithmetic can prove its own consistency, a result typically interpreted against a model-theoretic background in…
Although living organisms are affected by many interrelated and unidentified variables, this complexity does not automatically impose a fundamental limitation on statistical inference. Nor need one invoke such complexity as an explanation…
I think we can agree that dealing with uncertainty is not easy. Probability is the main tool for dealing with uncertainty, and we know there are many probability-related puzzles and paradoxes. Here I describe a rather idiosyncratic…
We study hypergraph discrepancy in two closely related random models of hypergraphs on $n$ vertices and $m$ hyperedges. The first model, $\mathcal{H}_1$, is when every vertex is present in exactly $t$ randomly chosen hyperedges. The premise…
Bertand's paradox is a fundamental problem in probability that casts doubt on the applicability of the indifference principle by showing that it may yield contradictory results, depending on the meaning assigned to "randomness". Jaynes…
Erd\H{o}s and Szekeres's quantitative version of Ramsey's theorem asserts that any complete graph on n vertices that is edge-colored with two colors has a monochromatic clique on at least 1/2log(n) vertices. The famous Erd\H{o}s-Hajnal…
For graphs $G$ and $H$, the Ramsey number $r(G,H)$ is the smallest positive integer $N$ such that any red/blue edge coloring of the complete graph $K_N$ contains either a red $G$ or a blue $H$. A book $B_n$ is a graph consisting of $n$…
Analogy has received attention as a form of inductive reasoning in the empirical sciences. However, its role in pure mathematics has received less consideration. This paper provides an account of how an analogy with a more familiar…
In the absence of empirical confirmation, scientists may judge a theory's chances of being viable based on a wide range of arguments. The paper argues that such arguments can differ substantially with regard to their structural similarly to…
In an empirical logic, an experimentally verifiable proposition P relating to a quantum system is assigned the value of either true of false if the system is in the pure state that belongs or, respectively, does not belong to the Hilbert…
Consider the following story: A teacher announces to her students a test for the following week, such that the test will be ``surprising''. The students use this as the basis for a ``logical derivation'' and reach a contradiction, which…
This paper examines the foundational concept of random variables in probability theory and statistical inference, demonstrating that their mathematical definition requires no reference to randomization or hypothetical repeated sampling. We…
Experimental tests of Bell inequalities ought to take into account all detection events. If the latter are postselected, and only some of these events are included in the statistical analysis, a Bell inequality may be violated, even by…
Simpson's paradox, a long-standing statistical phenomenon, describes the reversal of an observed association when data are disaggregated into sub-populations. It has critical implications across statistics, epidemiology, economics, and…
This article documents my journey down the rabbit hole, chasing what I have come to know as a particularly unyielding problem in Ramsey theory on the integers: the $2$-Large Conjecture. This conjecture states that if $D \subseteq…