Uncertain Inference

"Coping with uncertainty is a necessary part of ordinary life and it crucial to an understanding of how the mind works. For example, 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. The principal market for the book will be students and professionals in philosophy, computer science, and artificial intelligence. Among the special features of the book are a chapter on evidential probability, an interpretation of probability specifically developed with an eye to inductive and uncertain inference, which has not received a basic exposition before; chapters on nonmonotonic reasoning and theory replacement that concern matters rarely addressed in standard philosophical texts; and chapters on Mill's methods and statistical inference that cover material sorely lacking in the usual treatments of artificial intelligence and computer science. Coping with uncertainty is a necessary part of ordinary life and is crucial to an understanding of how the mind works. For example, 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. Thisbook seeks to provide a clear exposition of these approaches within a unified framework. The principal market for the book will be students and professionals in philosophy, computer science, and AI. Among the special features of the book are a chapter on evidential probability, which has not received a basic exposition before; chapters on nonmonotonic reasoning and theory replacement, matters rarely addressed in standard philosophical texts; and chapters on Mill's methods and statistical inference that cover material sorely lacking in the usual treatments of AI and computer science.

a Clear Exposition Of The Approaches To The Problem Of Uncertain Inference.

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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)

"The principal market for the book will be students and professionals in philosophy, computer science, and artificial intelligence. Among the special features of the book are a chapter on evidential probability, an interpretation of probability specifically developed with an eye to inductive and uncertain inference, which has not received a basic exposition before; chapters on nonmonotonic reasoning and theory replacement that concern matters rarely addressed in standard philosophical texts; and chapters on Mill's methods and statistical inference that cover material sorely lacking in the usual treatments of artificial intelligence and computer science."--Jacket. "Coping with uncertainty is a necessary part of ordinary life and is crucial to an understanding of how the mind works. For example, 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." Ever since Adam and Eve ate from the tree of knowledge, and thereby earned exile from Paradise, human beings have had to rely on their knowledge of the world to survive and prosper.