Probability and Conditionals: Belief Revision and Rational Decision

by Ellery Eells, Brian Skyrms

Overview

This is a collection of essays on the relation between probabilities—especially conditional probabilities—and conditionals. It provides new negative results that sharply limit the ways conditionals can be related to conditional probabilities. There are also positive ideas and results that will open up new areas of research. The collection is intended to honor Ernest W. Adams, whose seminal work is largely responsible for creating this area of inquiry. As well as describing, evaluating, and applying Adams's work, the contributions extend his ideas in directions he may not have anticipated, but that he certainly inspired.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521453592
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	11/25/1994
Series:	Cambridge Studies in Probability, Induction and Decision Theory
Pages:	218
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 9.02(h) x 0.63(d)

Table of Contents

List of contributors; Introduction; 1. Some questions about Adams' conditionals Patrick Suppes; 2. Adams conditionals Brian Skyrms; 3. Letter to Brian Skyrms Robert Stalnaker; 4. Conditionals as random variables Robert Stalnaker and Richard Jeffrey; 5. From Adams' conditionals to default expressions, causal conditionals, and counterfactuals Judea Pearl; 6. The hypothesis of the conditional construal of conditional probability Alan Hájek and Ned Hall; 7. Triviality on the cheap? Alan Hájek; 8. Back in the CCCP Ned Hall; 9. The Howson-Urbach proofs of Bayesian principles Charles S. Chihara; 10. Learning the impossible Vann McGee; 11. A brief survey of Adams' contributions to philosophy Patrick Suppes; Publications of Ernest W. Adams.

Editorial Reviews

"...it became clear how many points of contact there are between the work in this area in AI and computer science and the work in philosophy. This volume, with its discussions of probability, conditionals, counterfactuals, belief revision, and default reasoning - all issues of concern in both communities - helps bring out the connections clearly." The Philosophical Review

"...nicely edited by Ellery Eells and Brian Skyrms." Roy Gardner, Philosophy of Science

From the Publisher