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Tom Baines 940603 1527Z
>[Martin Taylor 940602 2020 vision (NOT)]
>"Data/perception" uncertainty would come from two people telling you
>incompatible things about the world (as if Paul Revere had arranged
>independently with people in two towers, and one game him one light
>while the other gave him two). "Source/perception" uncertainty would
>arise if the night had been hazy and Paul was unsure whether he had
>seen two lights or no light at all, from the one tower. Is that
>right?
Exactly!
>If I interpret you correctly, there is a difference in the
>distribution of probabilities in the world that correspond to a given
>perceptual signal. In the two-source case, the probabilities are
>likely to be double-peaked, with intermediate values being unlikely,
>whereas in the one poor source case the distribution is wide but
>single peaked. Is that right?
Of course. The distribution are also probably platokuritc. T
>One issue that has been in the discussion is whether Paul Revere
>perceives directly the uncertainty.
I guess it depends on what one means by "directly." Either of the
"types" of uncertainty that I/you describe arises from ambiguities as
to which of several lower level CS provide what perceptions to
higher-order CS. Ambiguities arising from incomplete mapping of lower
level perceptions into higher levels would cause the algebraic
summation of the lower level perceptions to fluctuate rapidly between
different possible summations, with "rapidity" being defined by how
fast lower levels can reorganize. Right? Uncertainty is then a
measure of how many summations are being dealt with per unit of
subjective time. I think.
>How can he not be perceiving and using the level of uncertainty of
>his perception of the British movements as a component of the
>perception he is controlling for when he actually starts his ride?
>And how can he not be controlling for the quickest reduction of that
>uncertainty in observing suspicious travellers by land or sea?
Beats me. Of course there is the hero of a novel by a Canadian author
who "ran down the stairs, lept on his horse, and rode off in all
directions."