Newsletter of Phenomenology

Keeping phenomenologists informed since May 2002

234483

(2018) Synthese 195 (3).

The qualitative paradox of non-conglomerability

Nicholas DiBella

pp. 1181-1210

A probability function is non-conglomerable just in case there is some proposition E and partition (pi ) of the space of possible outcomes such that the probability of E conditional on any member of (pi ) is bounded by two values yet the unconditional probability of E is not bounded by those values. The paradox of non-conglomerability is the counterintuitive—and controversial—claim that a rational agent’s subjective probability function can be non-conglomerable. In this paper, I present a qualitative analogue of the paradox. I show that, under antecedently plausible assumptions, an analogue of the paradox arises for rational comparative confidence. As I show, the qualitative paradox raises its own distinctive set of philosophical issues.

Publication details

DOI: 10.1007/s11229-016-1261-3

Full citation:

DiBella, N. (2018). The qualitative paradox of non-conglomerability. Synthese 195 (3), pp. 1181-1210.

This document is unfortunately not available for download at the moment.