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The Paradox of the Preface

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 April 2022

John L. Pollock*
Affiliation:
Department of Philosophy, University of Arizona

Abstract

In a number of recent papers I have been developing the theory of “nomic probability,“ which is supposed to be the kind of probability involved in statistical laws of nature. One of the main principles of this theory is an acceptance rule explicitly designed to handle the lottery paradox. This paper shows that the rule can also handle the paradox of the preface. The solution proceeds in part by pointing out a surprising connection between the paradox of the preface and the gambler's fallacy.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Philosophy of Science Association 1986

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