Search results for "Nonmonotonic reasoning"

On conditional probabilities and their canonical extensions to Boolean algebras of compound conditionals

2023

In this paper we investigate canonical extensions of conditional probabilities to Boolean algebras of conditionals. Before entering into the probabilistic setting, we first prove that the lattice order relation of every Boolean algebra of conditionals can be characterized in terms of the well-known order relation given by Goodman and Nguyen. Then, as an interesting methodological tool, we show that canonical extensions behave well with respect to conditional subalgebras. As a consequence, we prove that a canonical extension and its original conditional probability agree on basic conditionals. Moreover, we verify that the probability of conjunctions and disjunctions of conditionals in a rece…

Probabilistic inference and syllogisms

2014

Traditionally, syllogisms are arguments with two premises and one conclusion which are constructed by propositions of the form “All S are P ” and “At least one S is P ” and their respective negated versions. We will discuss probabilistic notions of the existential import and the basic sentences type. We will develop an intuitively plausible version of the syllogisms that is able to deal with uncertainty, exceptions and nonmonotonicity. We will develop a new semantics for categorical syllogisms that is based on subjective probability. Specifically, we propose de Finetti’s principle of coherence and its generalization to lower and upper conditional probabilities as the fundamental corner ston…

Probabilistic interpretations of the square of opposition

We investigate the square of opposition from a probabilistic point of view. Probability allows for dealing with exceptions and uncertainty. We will interpret the corners of the square by means of (precise or imprecise) conditional probability assessments. They will be defined within the framework of coherence, which originally goes back to de Finetti. In this framework probabilities are conceived as degrees of belief, where conditional probability is defined as a primitive concept. Coherence allows for dealing with partial and imprecise assessments. Moreover, the coherence approach is especially suitable for dealing with zero antecedent probabilities (i.e., here conditioning events may have…