Analyzing a Paradox in Dempster-Shafer Theory

Zadeh has criticized Dempster-Shafer (D-S) theory with a famous counter-example, where an almost impossible case based on two bodies of evidence produces a certain outcome by Dempster´s rule of combination. This paper investigates this intuitive paradox by justifying Dempster´s rule of combination under Shafer´s interpretation for D-S theory. Under Shafer´s interpretation, the applicability of Dempster´s rule of combination relies on that the bodies of evidence, which will be combined, are D-S independent. The cause of the paradox is that Dempster´s rule of combination is applied in a situation that does not satisfy this necessary condition.