The Science of Conjecture Evidence and Probability before Pascal |
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| Author:
| Franklin, James |
| ISBN: | 978-0-8018-6569-5 |
| Publication Date: | Jul 2001 |
| Publisher: | Johns Hopkins University Press
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| Book Format: | Hardback |
| List Price: | USD $65.00USD $65.00 |
Book Description:
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How did we make reliable predictions before Pascal and Fermat's discovery of the mathematics of probability in 1654? What methods in law, science, commerce, philosophy, and logic helped us to get at the truth in cases where certainty was not attainable? In The Science of Conjecture, James Franklin examines how judges, witch inquisitors, and juries evaluated evidence; how scientists weighed reasons for and against scientific theories; and how merchants counted shipwrecks to...
More Description
How did we make reliable predictions before Pascal and Fermat's discovery of the mathematics of probability in 1654? What methods in law, science, commerce, philosophy, and logic helped us to get at the truth in cases where certainty was not attainable? In The Science of Conjecture, James Franklin examines how judges, witch inquisitors, and juries evaluated evidence; how scientists weighed reasons for and against scientific theories; and how merchants counted shipwrecks to determine insurance rates.
The Science of Conjectureprovides a history of rational methods of dealing with uncertainty and explores the coming to consciousness of the human understanding of risk.