Description: No matter how irrefutable it may seem, evidence is often a matter of interpretation. Incomplete, inconclusive, imprecise, or vague, it is nonetheless the basis of myriad everyday conclusions and decisions. In this authoritative work, David A. Schum develops a general theory of evidence as it is understood and applied across a broad range of disciplines and practical undertakings.

Synthesizing insights from law, philosophy, logic, probability, semiotics, artificial intelligence, psychology, and history, Schum provides a detailed examination of the various properties and uses of evidence and the evaluative skills evidence requires. Along with the evidential subtleties beneath the surface of probabilistic reasoning, Schum explores the various processes by which evidence is generated or discovered and looks at the intellectual and practical underpinnings of probabilistic reasoning. In addition, The Evidential Foundations of Probabilistic Reasoning evaluates appropriate methods for defending the relevance and credibility of evidence and the means by which the inferential weight of evidence is assessed. Over one hundred numerical examples illustrate the workings of diverse probabilistic expressions for the inferential force of evidence and the subtleties they reveal.

In presenting structural issues, mathematical matters, and the processes of imaginative reasoning, this wide-ranging study makes a convincing, coherent case for a science of evidence. It is a useful resource for students, researchers, and practitioners of every discipline concerned with evidence and its inferential use.

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