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Generalized Bayes loss updates and temperature
1 · Prerequisites
- Absolute and Conditional Convergence; Rearrangement; Products
- Binary Operations, Monoids, Groups and Subgroups
- Compactness in Metric Spaces
- Complete Metrizability, Čech-Completeness, and Baire Category
- Completeness, Completion, and Uniform Continuity
- Construction of the Natural Numbers
- Construction of the Real Numbers via Cauchy Sequences
- Construction of the Real Numbers via Dedekind Cuts
- Continuity, IVT, EVT, and Uniform Continuity
- Cosets, Index and Lagrange's Theorem
- Countability and Uncountability
- Countability Axioms and Cardinal Functions
- Divisibility, Euclidean Domains, Principal Ideal Domains and Unique Factorisation
- Domination and Likelihood Ratios
- Finite Counting, Factorials and Binomial Coefficients
- Foundations of the Real Numbers for Analysis
- Ideals, Quotient Rings and the Isomorphism Theorems for Rings
- Infinite Product Measures and Kolmogorov Extension
- Limits of Real Functions
- limsup, liminf, and Subsequential Limits
- Measurable Functions and Simple Approximation
- Measures and Their Basic Properties
- Metric Spaces
- Minimax Lower Bounds
- Monotone Functions, Discontinuities, and Continuity Sets
- Monotone Sequences, Bolzano-Weierstrass, and Cauchy Completeness
- Normal Subgroups and Quotient Groups
- Order, Zorn's Lemma, and the Axiom of Choice
- Pointwise Extended-Real Function Products
- Polynomial Rings, the Division Algorithm and Roots
- Power Series and Real-Analytic Functions
- Probability Spaces Random Variables and Expectation
- Properties of the Integral and the Working FTC
- Relations, Functions, and Quotients
- Rings, Subrings, Integral Domains and Fields
- Roots, Rational Powers, and Classical Inequalities
- Sequences and Limits
- Sequences and Series of Functions; Uniform Convergence
- Series: Convergence and the Nonnegative Tests
- Sigma Algebras and Borel Sets
- Signed and Complex Measures Hahn and Jordan
- Simple Field Extensions and the Construction of the Complex Numbers
- Suprema and Infima
- The Derivative and the Mean Value Theorems
- The Exponential Function
- The Integral Logarithm and the Equivalence of Its Characterisations
- The Lebesgue Integral and the Convergence Theorems
- The Logarithm and General Powers
- The Radon Nikodym Theorem and Lebesgue Decomposition
- The Riemann Integral: Definition and Integrability
- The ZFC Axioms and the Basic Set Constructions
- Topological Spaces and Continuity
- Topology of ℝ
- Vector Spaces, Linear Subspaces, Span and Direct Sums
2 · Summary
For a fixed observation, a measurable real loss, a probability prior and a positive temperature, the generalized Bayes update is the prior reweighted by when its normalizer is finite and positive. The page proves normalization, the KL variational identity and uniqueness over the explicitly specified finite-objective class, and finite-sequence coherence at one fixed temperature. It does not identify a loss with a likelihood or assert a sampling-model posterior without the additional model and dominated-formula hypotheses. Temperature calibration methods are recorded with their extra inputs and limits; a target chosen through an M-loss alone supplies neither a robust-risk theorem nor a coverage guarantee.
3 · Logical flowchart
4 · Definitions, theorems and proofs
Generalized Bayes loss update and temperature
Definition
Let be a standard Borel parameter space (Standard Borel spaces). Let be a set of possible observations, and let be a loss whose section is -measurable for every . A prior is a probability measure on (Probability measures and probability spaces). A temperature is a fixed scalar that multiplies the observed loss.
For , define the normalizer The integrand is measurable by continuity of the exponential and composition of measurable maps (The exponential function is strictly increasing, Composition with a Borel measurable outer map preserves measurability). When , the generalized Bayes loss update (or Gibbs loss update) is the set function It is a positive scalar multiple of the measure with density relative to (The measure with density relative to ). If the normalizer is zero or infinite, this definition supplies no update.
Remarks
- This is a fixed-observation update from a supplied probability prior. It does not specify a sampling model or claim that the loss is a likelihood.
- The standard Borel assumption is the scope adopted by the BCS-19 design; the fixed-fiber normalization formula itself uses only the stated measurable space and probability prior.
A finite-normalizer loss update is a probability measure
Statement
Let be the update of Generalized Bayes loss update and temperature, with prior probability and normalizer . Then is a probability measure on .
Facts & Assumptions
Given: A prior probability , a fixed observation , a temperature , and .
Generalized Bayes loss update and temperature: for each measurable ,
The measure with density relative to : if is measurable, then is a measure.
Nonnegative scalar multiples and countable weighted sums of measures are measures: a nonnegative scalar multiple of a measure is a measure.
Integrating against a density agrees with integrating the product: for measurable,
Probability measures and probability spaces: a probability measure is a measure whose total mass is one.
Proof
Put and . By [F1]–[F2], is the measure with density relative to .
Since , [F1] gives , which is a measure by [F3]. Also [F4] gives so .
By [F5], the measure in step 2.1 with total mass one is a probability measure.
The generalized Bayes loss update uniquely minimizes loss plus KL
Statement
Assume the Axiom of Choice (The Axiom of Choice) used by the Kullback–Leibler definition. Let be the standard Borel parameter space of Generalized Bayes loss update and temperature, let be a probability prior, let be fixed, let , and let be measurable. Suppose and the update has finite absolute loss expectation .
Let be the probabilities on such that , , and . Define where expectation is integration under the law (Change of variables for expectation). Then and with equality if and only if . Thus is the unique minimizer of loss plus KL over .
Facts & Assumptions
Given: AC; a probability prior on the stated parameter space; a fixed measurable real loss section ; ; ; and .
Generalized Bayes loss update and temperature: when , the update has density relative to .
A finite-normalizer loss update is a probability measure: the update is a probability measure.
The Radon-Nikodym derivative as an almost-everywhere equivalence class: under AC, a Radon–Nikodym derivative is an almost-everywhere class of measurable functions satisfying the setwise integral formula.
Kullback–Leibler divergence: for probability measures , the definition gives for a Radon–Nikodym density , with and finite negative part. AC is used to supply the derivative representative.
Absolute continuity of a signed or complex measure with respect to a positive measure: means every measurable -null set is -null.
Radon-Nikodym derivatives satisfy the chain rule along nu << mu << lambda: under AC, if are sigma-finite positive measures with a common finite exhaustion, then -almost everywhere.
The exponential is positive and satisfies : and for every real .
Monotonicity and nonnegative homogeneity of the nonnegative integral: the nonnegative integral is monotone and homogeneous under positive scalars.
Order, continuity, range, and the product, quotient, and reciprocal laws for the natural logarithm: for positive , and ; the logarithm is the inverse of the exponential (The natural logarithm as the inverse of the exponential function).
The natural logarithm has derivative 1/x and equals the integral from 1 to x of 1/t: is differentiable on with derivative .
The mean value theorem, as the case of Cauchy's: for continuous on with and differentiable on there is with : a continuous function on a closed interval that is differentiable in its interior satisfies the mean value theorem.
Change of variables for expectation: for a random element with law , when is integrable.
A nonnegative measurable function has integral exactly when it vanishes almost everywhere: a nonnegative measurable function has integral zero exactly when it vanishes almost everywhere.
Probability measures and probability spaces: a probability measure is a measure of total mass one.
Measures on sigma-algebras: a measure is countably additive on pairwise disjoint measurable sequences.
The Axiom of Choice: AC states that every family of nonempty sets has a choice function. It is used here only through the KL/Radon–Nikodym interfaces in [F3], [F4], and [F6].
Proof
Let . By [F1]–[F2], is the probability measure with density relative to . Since is real-valued, [F7] gives everywhere.
For , put . By [F10], . If , the mean value theorem on gives ; if , it on gives . Thus . Multiplying by gives , with equality only at . At the inequality also holds under .
The update is admissible: by [F1], and [F4], [F9] give which is finite by the loss-integrability hypothesis and . Thus .
Fix . If , then for every integer , [F8] and [F1] give Let and, for , let . These sets are disjoint, each is -null by the displayed bound, and their union is because everywhere. Countable additivity [F15] therefore gives . Hence , and follows from and [F5].
The measures are finite probabilities. The constant exhaustion is therefore a common finite exhaustion, so [A1] and [F6] apply to . With and , the chain rule gives -almost everywhere.
The Radon–Nikodym formula [F3] gives and likewise , so -almost everywhere. Since and the negative part of the log-density integral is finite by [F4], is -integrable; is -integrable by . Using from step 3.1, [F9], and , we obtain The right-hand side is finite, so .
For , the density form of [F4] gives with . The integral is finite by step 4.1.
Apply step 1.2 to and integrate under . Since and , step 5.1 yields If equality holds, the nonnegative function has integral zero, so [F13] makes it zero -almost everywhere. Step 1.2 then gives -almost everywhere, and the Radon–Nikodym formula [F3] implies . Conversely, if , its Radon–Nikodym density relative to itself is -almost everywhere, so [F4] and [F9] give . Thus equality holds exactly when .
By step 4.1 and [F12], Step 2.1 gives , and step 6.1 shows equality is possible only for . Therefore is the unique minimizer and .
Fixed-temperature generalized Bayes updates are sequentially coherent
Statement
Let be a probability prior on the parameter space of Generalized Bayes loss update and temperature, let be fixed, and let be any finite sequence of observations with measurable real loss sections . Set recursively, and assume each sequential normalizer is finite and positive. Then, for every measurable , For , the empty sum is zero, the empty product is one, and . Thus sequential updating at a fixed temperature agrees with one update using the sum of the observed losses. No independence or sampling-model assumption is asserted.
Facts & Assumptions
Given: A probability prior , a fixed temperature , measurable real loss sections , and finite-positive sequential normalizers .
Generalized Bayes loss update and temperature: when a prior, observation, temperature, and finite-positive normalizer are supplied,
A finite-normalizer loss update is a probability measure: each such update is a probability measure.
Integrating against a density agrees with integrating the product: for nonnegative measurable ,
Probability measures and probability spaces: a probability measure is a measure of total mass one.
The measure with density relative to : is the measure for a nonnegative measurable .
The principle of mathematical induction: if a property holds at a natural number and each case implies the next, it holds for every later natural number.
Arithmetic and lattice operations preserve measurability whenever they are defined: sums and real scalar multiples of measurable real functions are measurable.
The exponential addition formula : for all real , .
The real exponential function and the number by a power series: the power series definition gives .
Proof
For , the cumulative loss is the empty sum zero. In the power series definition [F9] at zero, the zeroth term is and every positive-degree term vanishes, so its exponential weight is . By [F4], . Thus the empty normalizer is the empty product one and the displayed formula is .
For , the claim is exactly the update definition [F1], with . This normalizer is finite positive by hypothesis, so the update is a probability by [F2].
For , suppose the formula holds at , with cumulative normalizer and density relative to . The finite cumulative loss is measurable by repeated use of [F7], so [F1] gives measurability of and of . Algebra and [F8] factor the cumulative exponential into . Then [F3] gives Thus the cumulative normalizer is , which is finite and positive.
By [F1], [F3], and the same factorization [F8], for every measurable , This proves the induction step.
Define to be the claimed formula at . Step 1.2 proves . For any , set ; steps 1.3–2.1 prove that the formula at implies it at , hence implies . Therefore [F6] gives the formula for every ; step 1.1 covers . The initial is a probability by [F4], and every later is a probability by [F2]. The proof uses only fixed-temperature updates and the stated normalizers.
Calibrating generalized Bayes temperature
Remarks
In the objective of The generalized Bayes loss update uniquely minimizes loss plus KL, scales the data-loss term relative to the KL penalty. Replacing by for has the same algebraic effect as replacing by ; the numerical temperature therefore depends on the loss units.
Bissiri, Holmes, and Walker (2016, §§3.1–3.4) describe several model- or elicitation-specific ways to choose : cross-validation and subjective selection; matching expected loss-to-data and loss-to-prior using a specified joint reference law (with an empirical alternative); putting a hierarchical loss prior on ; and matching posterior probability of a loss-based confidence interval to its nominal level or eliciting a posterior-to-prior odds change at reference points. These are calibration proposals with additional inputs, not consequences of the update formula.
An M-loss can be chosen because its risk minimizer is the target of interest. That target choice alone proves neither contamination robustness nor frequentist coverage. The finite counterexample on the companion page shows why a positive temperature cannot supply a general coverage guarantee.
5 · Examples, counterexamples and false statements
None yet.
Sources
- P. G. Bissiri, C. C. Holmes, and S. G. Walker, A general framework for updating belief distributions, JRSS B 78(5), 2016
- J. Knoblauch, J. Jewson, and T. Damoulas, An Optimization-centric View on Bayes’ Rule: Reviewing and Generalizing Variational Inference, JMLR 23(132), 2022
- M. J. Wainwright and M. I. Jordan, Graphical Models, Exponential Families, and Variational Inference, Foundations and Trends in Machine Learning 1(1–2), 2008
- L. Perrotta, Practical Calibration of the Temperature Parameter in Gibbs Posteriors, arXiv:2004.10522, 2020