What is the difference between a generative and a discriminative algorithm?

Question

What is the difference between a generative and a discriminative algorithm?

Answer 1

This article helped me a lot in understanding the concept.

In summary,

• Both are probabilistic models, meaning they both use probability (conditional probability , to be precise) to calculate classes for the unknown data.
• The Generative Classifiers apply Joint PDF & Bayes Theorem on the data set and calculate conditional probability using values from those.
• The Discriminative Classifiers directly find Conditional probablity on the data set

Some good reading material: conditional probability , Joint PDF