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Bayesian stats book banned in China

stat.columbia.edu

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Re: Bayesian stats book banned in China

#41
post #38
post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Launching a spaceship almost certainly uses Bayesian methods for tracking (e.g., Kalman or particle filters for position tracking), but I seriously doubt that building a supercomputer requires a dedicated use of Bayesian statistics. On a different note, perhaps you could be slightly less condescending in your future posts.

I didn't find his tone too objectionable. Always consider that getting the tone correct can be difficult in a foreign tongue.

Understandable, but for future reference to anyone who might be interested, telling strangers to "use their brains" is generally not appreciated in many cultures, since it implies that they weren't.

Re: Bayesian stats book banned in China

#42
post #21
post #5

I didn't realize that things in China are that crazy...

I don't think it's crazy. As someone already said the objections are probably related to the examples mentioned on the book (election results and other "controversial" subjects). Crazy is superficial, this is, in my opinion, sad but not crazy or stupid.

Maybe it was a wrong word. I have to see the book to make conclusions, but I doubt that a book on Bayesian statistics may contain something highly controversial that needs to be banned.

Re: Bayesian stats book banned in China

#43
post #41
post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I didn't find his tone too objectionable. Always consider that getting the tone correct can be difficult in a foreign tongue.

Understandable, but for future reference to anyone who might be interested, telling strangers to "use their brains" is generally not appreciated in many cultures, since it implies that they weren't.

[deleted]

Re: Bayesian stats book banned in China

#44
post #41
post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I didn't find his tone too objectionable. Always consider that getting the tone correct can be difficult in a foreign tongue.

Understandable, but for future reference to anyone who might be interested, telling strangers to "use their brains" is generally not appreciated in many cultures, since it implies that they weren't.

points taken. I updated my original post. sorry for that condescending tone.

Re: Bayesian stats book banned in China

#45

Hi Guys, I am from China, and of course the Bayesian is taught in China. Only in the culture revolution time, this crazy thing may happen; but it's long time ago when Mao was alive. Now China is a modern society; of course, the Bayesian theory is taught in schools; otherwise how could they send the spaceship to the outer space and have the fastest super computer in the world so far. you are smart hackers, not a bunch…

> I guess the author's book must have some contents/examples regarding political issues; not Bayesian itself was the reason for the book being censored.

Does the reason really matter?

Re: Bayesian stats book banned in China

#47
post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If they try to ban Chinese citizens from international conferences and journals in anything related to Bayesian methods, I can tell you firsthand that a lot of math/CS/ML/AI conferences will shrivel up quite a bit. They won't die, but it'll be like the Cold War, where Russian mathematicians made advances that were insulated from the west for many years, and vice versa. A net loss for everyone, especially in a topic a…

You misunderstand, I'm very much not saying that there is or will be a general policy of banning things related to Bayesian methods. Rather, thats its quite possible one mid-level bureaucrat thought that Bayesian methods were unacceptable in this one instance. Maybe he (I think "he" is a safe assumption here) was confused and really thought that this sort of math was subversive. Maybe he was worried that he hadn't ba…

Seeing as this is a post on Bayesian statistics in China, I must ask: why are you sufficiently confident to assert that "he" is a safe assumption? Because it's political, because it's mathematical, because it's irrational, or because it's China?

Re: Bayesian stats book banned in China

#49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure, there are people crazy enough that they would ban books on evolution, just are there are undoubtedly people who are crazy enough to ban books on creationism. Those are probably not even near the top of the list of crazy things people wish they could do. The reason that it is the case that "things are this crazy in China" is that there is a difference between the existence of people who would probably enjoy impl…

Oh, we're in violent agreement. The thing about the USA and Canada is that we're constitutional democracies. That doesn't mean that as people we're any less crazy than places with a different system, but our constitutions act as a brake slowing down implementation of crazy policies and providing a kind of "undo" when things go wrong. As we saw in the FLQ Crisis and again during the G20 summit, Canadians can lock thou…

"But our system at least makes these things aberrations and provides dissenters a way to rectify the problems in the courts."

What a lot of people don't get when they try to tu quoque US/Canada/etc on particular events is that their protection of essential liberties is defense in depth.

If a book was banned:

- due process means that this incident can be taken to court

- freedom of press means the mass media can inform others of what has happened

- freedom of speech means you can raise awareness about the banning and denounce the agencies responsible

- with freedom of assembly, those who want the ban overturned can take to the streets and protest

These freedoms are mutually supportive -- abuse of any aspect would be mitigated by the presence of the rest.

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