J.-H. Lambert’s theory of probable syllogisms Original Research Article

In his Neues Organon of 1764, the mathematician and astronomer Jean-Henri Lambert developed a theory of probable syllogisms, with the aim of formally describing the probabilist reasoning and then applying it to the probability of testimony, thus imparting an epistemic sense to the concept of probability. In the present text, we propose to study the principles of this theory and the difficulties it raises.