I agree with a lot what you are saying, but rest assured its colored by personal rationalizations one has made while learning these things and not objective facts.
nns are in no way less fundamentally associated with probability than say linear regression. In both cases you can start with a probability model and derive the final form as a logical consequence, or you can start with the final form and slap a consistent probabilistic model on top.
The main thing is that any test you come up with that carves nns away from stats is going to carve a whole lot of other things that people have no trouble calling them stats. This controversy essentially stems from the need to claim a technique for ones own tribe and not concede to another. I am making no moral claim here just an observation and neither is it a novel one.
BTW I am firmly from the ml camp and not stats. I enjoy poking a little bit of fun at statisticians and try being gracious about their criticism of ml. That said i feel no need to make a groundless claim to a technique when they have no less rights to it in terms of objective claims. Rights steeped in culture, fiat and history are a different matter.
nns are in no way less fundamentally associated with probability than say linear regression. In both cases you can start with a probability model and derive the final form as a logical consequence, or you can start with the final form and slap a consistent probabilistic model on top.
The main thing is that any test you come up with that carves nns away from stats is going to carve a whole lot of other things that people have no trouble calling them stats. This controversy essentially stems from the need to claim a technique for ones own tribe and not concede to another. I am making no moral claim here just an observation and neither is it a novel one.
BTW I am firmly from the ml camp and not stats. I enjoy poking a little bit of fun at statisticians and try being gracious about their criticism of ml. That said i feel no need to make a groundless claim to a technique when they have no less rights to it in terms of objective claims. Rights steeped in culture, fiat and history are a different matter.