Title :
Probable implication, the contrapositive, and contingency tables
Author :
Birkhoff, Garrett ; Kotin, Leon
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Math., Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA, USA
Abstract :
In everyday life, the deductive logic of mathematical reasoning is generally replaced by inductive logic, which usually derives uncertain conclusions from a body of observed facts. The authors examine this distinction using probabilities based on 2×2 contingency tables. Some anomalies are discussed, such as the difference between the empirical probability of the implication A=>B and that of the logically equivalent contrapositive implication not-B=> not-A, although they are almost equal under near-certainty. Other classical examples are also discussed quantitatively, such as modus ponens and transitivity of implication
Keywords :
formal logic; knowledge based systems; probability; problem solving; anomalies; common sense reasoning; contingency tables; contrapositive implication; deductive logic; empirical probability; inductive logic; inductive reasoning; logic based reasoning; mathematical reasoning; modus ponens; transitivity of implication; uncertain conclusions; Artificial intelligence; Calculus; Documentation; Learning; Logic; Mathematics; Probability;
Conference_Titel :
AI Systems in Government Conference, 1989.,Proceedings of the Annual
Conference_Location :
Washington, DC
Print_ISBN :
0-8186-1934-1
DOI :
10.1109/AISIG.1989.47297