Probability is the very guide of life : the philosophical uses of chance / edited by Henry E. Kyburg, Jr., and Mariam Thalos.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Kyburg, Henry Ely, 1928-

Thalos, Mariam, 1962-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Probabilities.

Physical Description:

xviii, 366 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Chicago : Open Court, [2003]

Summary:

The theory of probability grew up in gaming rooms, graduated to insurance companies, and was eventually applied by philosophers to all kinds of ordinary choices. This collection represents the best recent work on the subject and includes essays by Clark Glymour, James H. Fetzer, and Wesley C. Salmon.

Contents:

Part I Probability, Frequency, and Inference

1. Reichenbach, Reference Classes, and Single-Case 'Probabilities' / James H. Fetzer 3

2. Direct Inference and the Problem of Induction / Timothy McGrew 33

3. Objective Modality and Direct Inference / Isaac Levi 61

4. Severe Testing as a Guide for Inductive Learning / Deborah G. Mayo 89

5. Bayesian Meets Frequentist: A Marriage Made in California / James R. Henderson 119

6. Probability as a Guide in Life / Henry E. Kyburg, Jr. 135

Part II Probability and Decision

7. A Dilemma for Objective Chance / Phil Dowe 153

8. Simpson's Paradox: A Logically Benign, Empirically Treacherous Hydra / Gary Malinas 165

9. Conditional Probability Is the Very Guide of Life / Alan Hajek 183

10. Causal Generalizations and Good Advice / Christopher Hitchcock 205

Part III Probability and Causation

11. Instrumental Probability / Clark Glymour 235

12. What Is Wrong with Bayes Nets? / Nancy Cartwright 253

13. Don't Take Unnecessary Chances! / Henry E. Kyburg, Jr. 277

14. The Reduction of Causation / Mariam Thalos 295

Part IV Wider Applications of Probability

15. Is It a Crime to Belong to a Reference Class? / Mark Colyvan, Helen M. Regan, Scott Ferson 331

16. Explaining Things Probabilistically / Wesley C. Salmon 349.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0812695135

OCLC:

51647415