The logical response to a noisy world

Open Access
Authors
Publication date 2010
Host editors
  • M. Oaksford
  • N. Chater
Book title Cognition and Conditionals
Book subtitle Probability and Logic in Human Thinking
ISBN
  • 9780199233298
ISBN (electronic)
  • 9780191696602
Pages (from-to) 85-102
Publisher Oxford: Oxford University Press
Organisations
  • Interfacultary Research - Institute for Logic, Language and Computation (ILLC)
Abstract

Interpretation processes are necessary, whether one then applies probability theory or some other logic in reasoning from the resulting interpretations. In the case of suppression, understood in probabilistic terms, interpretation shows up as the necessity to change one's probabilities in ways not sanctioned by Bayesianism. This chapter argues that a computational level analysis, in the sense of Marr, must also incorporate the interpretation process, not only the reasoning, once the interpretation is chosen. This is not to deny the role of Bayesian probability in a characterization of the computational level. If a subject construes the task as involving uncertain conditionals, in the sense of positive probability of exceptions, principles like Bayesian conditionalization may well form part of the computational level. In this case competence theory is needed of how judgements of probabilities can change in non-Bayesian ways. This is one of the most interesting technical challenges issuing from the present analysis.

Document type Chapter
Language English
Published at https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199233298.003.0005
Other links https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/84921578789
Downloads
NoisyLogic (Accepted author manuscript)
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