Prospects for probabilistic theories of natural information

Ulrich Stegmann

doi:10.1007/s10670-014-9679-9

Prospects for probabilistic theories of natural information

Ulrich Stegmann^* (Corresponding Author)

^*Corresponding author for this work

Philosophy

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16 Citations (Scopus)

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Abstract

Much recent work on natural information has focused on probabilistic theories, which construe natural information as a matter of probabilistic relations between events or states. This paper assesses three variants of probabilistic theories (due to Millikan, Shea, and Scarantino and Piccinini). I distinguish between probabilistic theories as (1) attempts to reveal why probabilistic relations are important for human and non-human animals and as (2) explications of the information concept(s) employed in the sciences. I argue that the strength of probabilistic theories lies in the first project. Probability-raising can enable organisms to draw specific inferences they otherwise could not entertain and I show how exactly they help to explain the behaviour of organisms. In addition, probability-raising warrants inferences by providing incremental inductive support.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	869-893
Number of pages	25
Journal	Erkenntnis
Volume	80
Issue number	4
Early online date	19 Sept 2014
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s10670-014-9679-9
Publication status	Published - Aug 2015

Bibliographical note

Acknowledgements
Andrea Scarantino, Nicholas Shea, Mark Sprevak, and three anonymous referees provided incisive and constructive comments, for which I am very grateful. In 2012, earlier versions of this paper were delivered in Edinburgh, at the Joint Session in Stirling, and at a workshop on natural information in Aberdeen. I thank participants for their feedback.

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Ulrich Stegmann
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Cite this

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Prospects for probabilistic theories of natural information

Abstract

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Ulrich Stegmann

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