The Emergence of Probability

By Ian Hacking,

Book cover of The Emergence of Probability: A Philosophical Study of Early Ideas about Probability, Induction and Statistical Inference

Book description

Historical records show that there was no real concept of probability in Europe before the mid-seventeenth century, although the use of dice and other randomizing objects was commonplace. Ian Hacking presents a philosophical critique of early ideas about probability, induction, and statistical inference and the growth of this new family…

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Why read it?

2 authors picked The Emergence of Probability as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Hacking writes in pellucid prose. Reading this book—in an old, dusty library many years ago—is what convinced me, for better or worse, that uncovering the history of ideas was something not only that could be viably done but could be done rigorously.

Hacking’s book tells the story of the emergence of one of the areas of mathematics that arguably shapes our world today more than any other: probability. It governs financial markets as much as military decisions, carving up the edges of our world.

Rewinding to the beginning of the modern age, Hacking tells the story of how an Italian…

One day, in conversation with Ian Hacking, he announced a new passion: Archaeology of ideas. The concept we now have of probability was new, he said; it was born in the 17th century and was different from anything before!

I love this book because it is, first of all, a philosopher’s take on history. Hacking confronts the conceptual puzzles that defeated some of the best mathematical minds, raises controversial questions about what it all meant, and gives us a new vision of the history of concepts.

What could be more exciting?

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