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Symmetry and its Discontents: Essays on the History of Inductive Probability
Author(s): S. L. Zabell (Author)
- Publisher: Cambridge University Press
- Publication Date: 4 Aug. 2005
- Edition: Illustrated
- Language: English
- Print length: 292 pages
- ISBN-10: 052144912X
- ISBN-13: 9780521449120
Book Description
This volume brings together a collection of essays on the history and philosophy of probability and statistics by one of the eminent scholars in these subjects. Written over the last fifteen years, they fall into three broad categories. The first deals with the use of symmetry arguments in inductive probability, in particular, their use in deriving rules of succession (Carnap’s ‘continuum of inductive methods’). The second group deals with four outstanding individuals who made lasting contributions to probability and statistics in very different ways: Frank Ramsey, R. A. Fisher, Alan Turing, and Abraham de Moivre. The last group of essays deals with the problem of ‘predicting the unpredictable’ – making predictions when the range of possible outcomes is unknown in advance. The essays weave together the history and philosophy of these subjects and document the fascination that they have exercised for more than three centuries.
Editorial Reviews
Review
‘This is a valuable collection of the author’s 11 contributions (1982–1997) which are sufficiently documented and contain many quotations.’ Zentralblatt MATH
Book Description
This volume contains essays on the history and philosophy of probability and statistics.
