Date of Award
2012
First Advisor
Samuel Ruhmkorff
Second Advisor
Brian Conolly
Third Advisor
Paul Shields
Abstract
In this essay, I discuss various attempts to account for the relationship between physical probability attributions and the structure of the world. Starting with basic intuitions about the concept of probability, I address the following questions: what are the truthmakers for probability statements? How do we know a particular probability assignment is the ‘correct’ one? Furthermore, what does ‘correct’ mean for probabilities? What does it mean for a system to have a particular probability to display a certain property? I establish a set of criteria for evaluating interpretations of probability for their effectiveness at describing and explaining the role of probability in science, quantum mechanics in particular. I conclude that an objective interpretation is required, and that propensity interpretation and the best systems analysis are comparably effective.
Recommended Citation
Rosenstock, Sarita, "On the Interpretation of Physical Probability" (2012). Senior Theses. 690.
https://digitalcommons.bard.edu/sr-theses/690
Simon's Rock students and employees can log in from off-campus by clicking on the Off-campus Download button and entering their Simon's Rock username and password.