Evidence, Decision and Causality - Hardcover

Ahmed, Arif

 
9781107020894: Evidence, Decision and Causality
Hardcover
ISBN 10: 1107020891 ISBN 13: 9781107020894
Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2014

Synopsis

Most philosophers agree that causal knowledge is essential to decision-making: agents should choose from the available options those that probably cause the outcomes that they want. This book argues against this theory and in favour of evidential or Bayesian decision theory, which emphasises the symptomatic value of options over their causal role. It examines a variety of settings, including economic theory, quantum mechanics and philosophical thought-experiments, where causal knowledge seems to make a practical difference. The arguments make novel use of machinery from other areas of philosophical inquiry, including first-person epistemology and the free will debate. The book also illustrates the applicability of decision theory itself to questions about the direction of time and the special epistemic status of agents.

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About the Author

Arif Ahmed is Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Cambridge.

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Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Publication date
2014
Language
English
ISBN 10 
1107020891
ISBN 13 
9781107020894
Binding
Hardcover
Number of pages
258

Other Popular Editions of the Same Title

9781316641545: Evidence, Decision and Causality

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ISBN 10:  1316641546 ISBN 13:  9781316641545
Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2017
Softcover