Belief that the use of induction in science can be rationally justified by appeal to Bayes’s Theorem (Thomas Bayes, 1702-1761)).
This says that the probability of one proposition, given another, equals the probability of the second, given the first, multiplied by the prior probability of the first (that is the probability it already has, irrespective of the second) and divided by that of the second. The first proposition will be the one we are interested in, while the second will be some piece of evidence; and according to the theorem this will support the first proposition in proportion as its own prior probability is low, which suits our intuitions.
However, though the theorem itself is undisputed, its usefulness depends on our assigning suitable prior probabilities, with numerical values, to the two propositions. This raises problems.
‘Bayesianism’ is also sometimes used of any conception of rationality based on maximizing expected utilities, which links it to subjectivist theories of probability.
Table of Contents
- 1 Videos
- 2 Related Products
- 2.1 In Defence of Objective Bayesianism
- 2.2 Quantum Paradoxes and Interpretations
- 2.3 Foundations of Bayesianism (Applied Logic Series)
- 2.4 A Philosophical Enquiry into the Sublime and Beautiful (Penguin Classics)
- 2.5 QBism: The Future of Quantum Physics
- 2.6 Probability and Inference in the Law of Evidence: The Uses and Limits of Bayesianism (Boston Studies in the Philosophy and History of Science)
- 2.7 Economic Ideas You Should Forget
- 2.8 Interpreting Biomedical Science: Experiment, Evidence, and Belief
- 2.9 David Hume on Miracles, Evidence, and Probability
- 2.10 Belief, Evidence, and Uncertainty: Problems of Epistemic Inference (SpringerBriefs in Philosophy)
- limited independent variety principle
- logical atomism
- subjectivist theories of probability
- deduction theorem
- relevance logics
Videos
In Defence of Objective Bayesianism
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- Williamson, Jon (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 200 Pages - 05/13/2010 (Publication Date) - OUP Oxford (Publisher)
Quantum Paradoxes and Interpretations
- Amazon Prime Video (Video on Demand)
- Erica W. Carlson (Actor)
- Erica W. Carlson (Writer) - The Great Courses (Producer)
- English (Playback Language)
- English (Subtitle)
Foundations of Bayesianism (Applied Logic Series)
- English (Publication Language)
- 436 Pages - 09/08/2011 (Publication Date) - Springer (Publisher)
A Philosophical Enquiry into the Sublime and Beautiful (Penguin Classics)
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- Burke, Edmund (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 530 Pages - 11/26/1998 (Publication Date) - Penguin (Publisher)
QBism: The Future of Quantum Physics
- Harvard University Press
- Hardcover Book
- von Baeyer, Hans Christian (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 272 Pages - 10/03/2016 (Publication Date) - Harvard University Press (Publisher)
Probability and Inference in the Law of Evidence: The Uses and Limits of Bayesianism (Boston Studies in the Philosophy and History of Science)
- Hardcover Book
- English (Publication Language)
- 345 Pages - 09/30/1988 (Publication Date) - Springer (Publisher)
Economic Ideas You Should Forget
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- English (Publication Language)
- 180 Pages - 03/08/2017 (Publication Date) - Springer (Publisher)
Interpreting Biomedical Science: Experiment, Evidence, and Belief
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- Maiväli, Ülo (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 375 Pages - 06/12/2015 (Publication Date) - Academic Press (Publisher)
David Hume on Miracles, Evidence, and Probability
- Hardcover Book
- Vanderburgh, William L. (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 206 Pages - 04/04/2019 (Publication Date) - Lexington Books (Publisher)
Belief, Evidence, and Uncertainty: Problems of Epistemic Inference (SpringerBriefs in Philosophy)
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- Bandyopadhyay, Prasanta S. (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 192 Pages - 03/04/2016 (Publication Date) - Springer (Publisher)
Last update 2020-06-17. Price and product availability may change.