| The Science of Conjecture: Evidence and Probability Before Pascal Contributor(s): Franklin, James (Author) |
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ISBN: 1421418800 ISBN-13: 9781421418803 Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press OUR PRICE: $39.90 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: August 2015 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Mathematics | Probability & Statistics - General - Mathematics | History & Philosophy - Science | History |
| Dewey: 519.209 |
| Physical Information: 1.16" H x 6.14" W x 9.21" (1.74 lbs) 520 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher 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 Conjecture provides a history of rational methods of dealing with uncertainty and explores the coming to consciousness of the human understanding of risk. |
Contributor Bio(s): Franklin, James: - James Franklin is a senior lecturer in mathematics at the University of New South Wales. |