When I taught my Skillshare class on Bayesian Probability, I wound up spending a fair bit of time sharing my fascination with the foundations of probability. Why is there uncertainty in the world to begin with? How do we measure it? I have therefore decided to break that material out into its own class: Foundations of Probability.
This class will be a romp through physics, philosophy, mathematics and more to examine where uncertainty comes from, how to measure it and how to think about it’s implications for every day life.
What should you know already? Nothing. Just be fundamentally interested in one of the great mysteries of life.
What will you learn? Basic concepts such as outcomes, probabilities and probability distributions.
Who is this class for? Anyone and everyone. Especially for people who hated statistics in school but have not lost their interest in understanding randomness. There will be some formulas, but nothing beyond simple addition and multiplication.
If you want a great example of the kind of thought that will be covered in the class, read Daniel Kahneman’s piece on confidence in yesterday’s New York Times Magazine.
I will be teaching the class for the first time over lunch on Tuesday, November 8. Proceeds will go to support HackNY.
