Philosophy of Statistics

This volume provides a comprehensive, state-of-the-art overview of the philosophy of statistics. Theoretical as well as applied dimensions are addressed in detail, including: the problem of induction the definition and role of conditional probability foundational debates regarding the leading statistical paradigms (classical, Bayesian, likelihood, Akaikean) the likelihood principle recent advances in model selection criteria the issue about randomness and its mathematical foundations probabilistic and statistical paradoxes Inductive/statistical inference causal inference in observational studies issues in statistical learning theory the role of simplicity in statistics and automated inductive inference normal approximations the Stein phenomenon problems concerning data mining applications of statistics to climate change historical issues concerning the subjective-objective distinction and probability in Ancient India The essays contained in this Handbook, written by scholars from nine disciplines (philosophy, statistics, mathematics, computer science, economics, ecology, electrical engineering, epidemiology, and geo-science), examine these complex issues in a lucid and intelligible style. Also included is a primer in elementary probability and statistics for readers who may lack the technical background to access many of the more complicated issues involved.