Situated Bayes -- Feminist and Pluriversal Perspectives on Bayesian Knowledge

TL;DR

This paper introduces the concept of Situated Bayes, exploring how Bayesian methods relate to feminist, decolonial, and critical theories of knowledge, and suggests future interdisciplinary research directions.

Contribution

It bridges Bayesian mathematical frameworks with critical theories of knowledge, proposing new perspectives on Bayesian mapping and subjectivity.

Findings

Resonances between Bayesian functions and subjective experience

Connections between Bayesian methods and pluriversal knowledge

Proposals for interdisciplinary future research

Abstract

This is the introduction and lead article to the Situated Bayes special issue of Computational Culture. The article introduces Bayes' Theorem and aspects of its contemporary uses, for instance in machine learning. A mathematical discussion is developed alongside a consideration of Bayes Theorem in relation to critical theories of knowledge, specifically the discussion of situated knowledge in feminist theories of science, pluriversal knowledge in decolonial theory, and critical approaches to mathematics. We discuss whether there are possible resonances between Bayesian mapping of multiple functions and the idea of the subjective on the one hand and these theoretical propositions on the other and propose further lines of enquiry for future research. In closing the introduction, the contributions to the special issue are briefly described.