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The theorem is proved for only for probability distributions with support at a finite number of points on [0,1], and the sigma-algebra of all subsets of [0,1].
by madhadron 8y ago
The theorem is proved for only for probability distributions with support at a finite number of points on [0,1], and the sigma-algebra of all subsets of [0,1]. This is an utterly bizarre choice and makes the whole thing basically uninteresting.
One of the first things you see in a graduate course on real analysis that covers measure theory is the construction of an unmeasurable set using the axiom of choice (equivalent to the continuum hypothesis). Then you say, "that's useless," and restrict the subsets you work with to those that don't depend on this problem, or you go work with intuitionist, finitist, ultrafinitist, or some other logic, which gives basically the same effect. Then you build all of probability theory and machine learning in this actually useful world.
The unmeasurable set construction that everyone uses is to consider all subsets of [0,1] of the form {x + r : x in [0,1], r is rational}. Since there are uncountably many irrational numbers, you end up with an uncountable number of these subsets, and then use the axiom of choice to select an element of each.
For their probability distributions with finite support, consider the sets of points that form the support of the distributions. I can form a sequence of such sets that heads towards that unmeasurable set, and a corresponding sequence of probability distributions. They completely ignore whether their set of distributions is complete (that is, contains all limits of sequences—hint, it isn't), but they're taking suprema, so they effectively are working in the closure anyway, where the limits are included.
So basically they have found an obscure way of showing the first result taught in measure theory and dressed it up in the clothes of machine learning, even though no machine learning work ever conducted or that will ever be conducted with work on this mathematical structure because of this exact reason.
- dltnhic 8y agoThis is not adding to the conversation. Your comment was my impediment in moving past the second page of the paper. Problem is, I never got to study foundations of measure theory, and presumed I could be wrong. Do you have any self-study recommendations, paper or concise books?
- madhadron 8y agoI really don't have a good recommendation. :( I learned it from a person, not a book, and the textbook he was assigning exercises from (Folland) is essentially useless for self study to my mind.