Comic #6943: bayesing

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Description

Here's the detailed description of the comic's text:

Panel 1:

• Character 1: "I think we should all try to be Bayesians."
• Character 2: "What?! Bayesiansm can't possibly be true, and the proof is easy."

Panel 2:

• Character 1: "Suppose your prior probability that O equals 1 is precisely O."

Panel 3:

• Character 1: "You take a field observation and find that to your surprise O equals 1."
• Character 2: "The probability of that observation, given your prior assumption, is, let's say, 0.5."

Panel 4:

• Character 1: "Bayesians should update but they can't because the observation that O equals 1 would change the mathematics of Bayes' theorem directly, making the probability both 0 and 1!"

Panel 5:

• Character 2: "Your argument is that Bayes' theorem can't account for incredibly stupid shit?"
• Character 1: "And thus cannot be a complete description of our universe!"

The characters’ expressions and gestures add to the humor and complexity of the exchange, highlighting the interplay between statistics and philosophical thought.