Rachael Briggs (ANU): Fictionalism About Chance
There are good metaphysical grounds for skepticism about objective chance. Yet chance is undeniably theoretically useful; its applications range from quantum mechanics to evolutionary biology to insurance sales. How can we reconcile our suspicions about the metaphysical status of chance with the usefulness of chance talk? I develop a fictionalist view, on which there are no chances, but we are nonetheless justified in adopting a fiction on which chances exist.
Location
Coombs Seminar Room B