Friday, 4 November 2005
Probability and its Interpretations
Maria Carla Galavotti, U. of Bologna, Philosophy
12:05 pm, 817R Cathedral of Learning
Abstract: Far from being reducible to its mathematical
aspects, the modern notion of probability has a rich and yet controversial
philosophical insight, which is at the core of an ongoing debate.
This debate is addressed in my recent Philosophical Introduction
to Probability (CSLI Publications, 2005), containing an overview
of the different interpretations of probability: classical, frequentist,
propensionist, logical and subjective. The investigation into the
leading ideas underpinning the various interpretations of probability
is framed in the distinction between “epistemic” and
“empirical” probability, which is taken to be more effective
and less misleading than the widespread distinction between “objective”
and “subjective” probability. The talk will illustrate
some of the key issues addressed in the book.
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