Uncertain Inference

by Henry E. Kyburg, Jr, Choh Man Teng

Overview

Coping with uncertainty is a necessary part of ordinary life and is crucial to an understanding of how the mind works. It is a vital element in developing artificial intelligence that will not be undermined by its own rigidities. There have been many approaches to the problem of uncertain inference, ranging from probability to inductive logic to nonmonotonic logic. This book seeks to provide a clear exposition of these approaches within a unified framework.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521800648
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	08/06/2001
Pages:	312
Product dimensions:	7.20(w) x 10.35(h) x 0.91(d)

Table of Contents

Preface; 1. Historical background; 2. First order logic; 3. The probability calculus; 4. Interpretations of probability; 5. Nonstandard measures of support; 6. Nonmonotonic reasoning; 7. Theory replacement; 8. Statistical inference; 9. Evidential probability; 10. Semantics; 11. Applications; 12. Scientific inference.

Editorial Reviews

For upper-level undergraduates and early graduate students of philosophy, computer science, and artificial intelligence, a text that gathers approaches to the problem of uncertain inference into a framework unifying all three disciplines. It includes a chapter on evidential probability; chapters on nonmonotonic reasoning and theory replacement, which the authors note are rarely addressed in standard philosophical texts; and chapters on Mill's methods and statistical inference, material usually not considered in artificial intelligence and computer science. The authors are associated with the U. of Rochester and the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition, U. of West Florida. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

"Overall this book is one of the most thorough and objective treatments of inductive reasoning that I have encountered. It is clearly written with well chosen examples and both the scope and depth of the material covered is impressive...an excellent postgraduate textbook." Mathematical Reviews

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