Interpreting Probability: Controversies and Developments in the Early Twentieth Century.

HOWIE, David:

ISBN 10: 0521812518 / ISBN 13: 9780521812511

Published by Cambridge, etc.: Cambridge University Press, 2002., 2002

About this Item

xi, 262 pp. Original cloth. Near Fine, in near fine dust jacket. Cambridge Studies in Probability, Induction, and Decision Theory. 'This book is a study of the concept of probability as it has been used and applied across a number of scientific disciplines from genetics to geophysics. Probability has a dual aspect: sometimes it is a numerical ratio; sometimes, in the Bayesian interpretation, a degree of belief. David Howie examines probabilistic theories of scientific knowledge, and asks how, despite being adopted by many scientists and statisticians in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Bayesianism was discredited as a theory of scientific inference during the 1920s and 1930s. Through a close examination of a dispute between two British scientists, the author argues that a choice between the two interpretations of probability is not forced by pure logic, or the mathematics of the situation, but depends on the experiences and aims of the individuals involved, and their views of the correct form of scientific inquiry' (Cambridge University Press Web site). Contents: Acknowledgements; 1. Introduction; 2. Probability up to the twentieth century; 3. R. A. Fisher and statistical probability; 4. Harold Jeffreys and inverse probability; 5. The Fisher-Jeffreys exchange, 1932 1934; 6. Probability during the 1930s; 7. Epilogue and conclusions; Appendices; Bibliography; Index. This book 'is a timely and valuable contribution to our knowledge of the period and its great figures. There is a wealth of incidental, but always relevant and often fascinating, historical detail. Another distinctive feature of his book is that, thought it concerns a highly technical subject matter, his own discussion is anything but technical in any overtly formal sense: in fact, there are hardly any formulas in the book. Yet he succeeds in conveying, in words, the technical ideas both precisely and clearly, Its thoroughness, combined with an assured informality and lightness of touch, make the book an enlightening and entertaining read' (Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews 02/02/2003). In print in paperback only at US$53.00.

Seller Inventory # 19805

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Interpreting Probability: Controversies and Developments in the Early Twentieth Century.
• Publisher: Cambridge, etc.: Cambridge University Press, 2002.
• Publication Date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0521812518
• ISBN 13: 9780521812511
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Condition: Near Fine
• Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine

About this title

Synopsis

This book is a study of the concept of probability as it has been used and applied across a number of scientific disciplines from genetics to geophysics. Probability has a dual aspect: sometimes it is a numerical ratio; sometimes, in the Bayesian interpretation, a degree of belief. David Howie examines probabilistic theories of scientific knowledge, and asks how, despite being adopted by many scientists and statisticians in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Bayesianism was discredited as a theory of scientific inference during the 1920s and 1930s. Through a close examination of a dispute between two British scientists, the author argues that a choice between the two interpretations of probability is not forced by pure logic, or the mathematics of the situation, but depends on the experiences and aims of the individuals involved, and their views of the correct form of scientific inquiry.

Book Description

Probability can be a numerical ratio; or, in the Bayesian sense, a degree of belief.This book is about these two types of probability and investigates how Bayesianism was discredited during the 1920s and 1930s. By examining a dispute between two Brisith scientists, the author argues that a choice between the two interpretations depends on the experiences of the individuals involved.The book should be of interest to scholars interested in statistics and probability theories and to general readers with an interest in the history, sociology and philosophy of science.