Beliefs require observations
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Revision as of 06:25, 17 July 2009 by Eliezer Yudkowsky (talk | contribs) (removed reference to surface vs. deep analogies; that is a question of what updates are licensed, not a question of observation vs. nonobservation)
To form accurate beliefs about something, you really do have to observe it. This can be viewed as a special case of the second law of thermodynamics, in fact, since "knowledge" is correlation of belief with reality, which is mutual information, which is a form of negentropy.
See also
Blog posts
- The Second Law of Thermodynamics, and Engines of Cognition by Eliezer Yudkowsky
- The Parable of the Dagger by Eliezer Yudkowsky