bayes' postulate

noun phrase

Meaning

The principle that in the absence of prior knowledge, one should assign equal probabilities to all possible outcomes of a random event.

Examples

  • The researcher invoked Bayes' postulate to justify using a uniform distribution for the initial parameter estimation.
  • Critics of Bayes' postulate argue that assuming equal probability for unknown events is often an arbitrary choice.

Synonyms: principle of indifference, uniform prior, Laplace's principle, insufficient reason