Probabilistic Inference and Probabilistic Reasoning
Abstract
There are two profoundly different (though not exclusive) approaches to uncertain inference. According to one, uncertain inference leads from one distribution of (non-extreme) uncertainties among those propositions. According to the other, uncertain inference is like deductive inference in that the conclusion is detached from the premises (the evidence) and accepted as practically certain; it differs in being non-monotonic: and augmentation of the premises can lead to the withdrawal of conclusions already accepted. We show here, first, that probabilistic inference is what both traditional inductive logic (ampliative inference) and non-monotonic reasoning are designed to capture, third, that acceptance is legitimate and desirable, fourth, that statistical testing provides a model of probabilistic acceptance, and fifth, that a generalization of this model makes sense in AI.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1989
- Accession Number
- ADA250602
Entities
People
- Henry E. Kyburg Jr.
Organizations
- University of Rochester