Abstract
We often rely on symmetries to infer outcomes' probabilities, as when we infer that each side of a fair coin is equally likely to come up on a given toss. Why are these inferences successful? I argue against answering this question with an a priori indifference principle. Reasons to reject such a principle are familiar, yet instructive. They point to a new, empirical explanation for the success of our probabilistic predictions. This has implications for indifference reasoning generally. I argue that a priori symmetries need never constrain our probability attributions, even for initial credences.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 27-40 |
| Number of pages | 14 |
| Journal | Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part B - Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics |
| Volume | 41 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jan 2010 |
| Externally published | Yes |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- History
- General Physics and Astronomy
- History and Philosophy of Science
Keywords
- Indifference
- Probability
- Statistical mechanics
- Symmetry