A Naturalist's Guide to Objective Chance. Issue 3 (July 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Emery, Nina
• Is Part Of: Philosophy of science. Volume 84:Issue 3(2017)
• Page Start: 480
• Page End: 499
• Publication Date: 2017-07
• Subjects: Science -- Periodicals; Science -- Philosophy; Science; Science -- Philosophy; Philosophie des sciences; Epistemology; Periodicals; 501
• DOI: 10.1086/692144
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1539-767X

Abstract

Abstract : I argue that there are such things as nomological probabilities—probabilities that play a certain explanatory role with respect to stable, long-run relative frequencies. Indeed, I argue, we should be willing to accept nomological probabilities even if they turn out to be metaphysically weird or even wholly sui generis entities. I then give an example of one way in which this argument should shape future work on the metaphysics of chance by describing a challenge to a common group of analyses of objective probability—Humean analyses—understood as analyses of nomological probability.