Towards a Unifying Theory of Logical and Probabilistic Reasoning

Logic and probability theory have both a long history in science. They are mainly rooted in philosophy and mathematics, but are nowadays important tools in many other fields such as computer science and, in particular, artificial intelligence. Some philosophers studied the connection between logical and probabilistic reasoning, and some attempts to combine these disciplines have been made in computer science, but logic and probability theory are still widely considered to be separate theories that are only loosely connected. This paper introduces a new perspective which shows that logical and probabilistic reasoning are no more and no less than two opposite extreme cases of one and the same universal theory of reasoning called probabilistic argumentation.1 Keywords. Logical reasoning, probabilistic reasoning, uncertainty, ignorance, argumentation.

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2005
• Where: ISIPTA
• Authors: Rolf Haenni
• Keywords: ISIPTA 2005, Logical And, Mathematics, Probabilistic Reasoning, Probability Theory