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PRODID:UW-Madison-Physics-Events
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UID:UW-Physics-Event-9490
DTSTART:20251112T200000Z
DTEND:20251112T210000Z
DTSTAMP:20260413T084200Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251110T181459Z
LOCATION:5310 Chamberlin
SUMMARY:Bayesian epistemology in a quantum world\, Special seminar\, A
 lexander Meehan\, UW–Madison\, Dept of Philosophy
DESCRIPTION:Philosophers of science have long struggled to develop ade
 quate accounts of scientific confirmation and scientific inference.Bay
 esian epistemology is a framework that arguably delivers on this goal\
 , solving many old problems and providing a general account for how on
 e ought to update one’s uncertainties in light of new evidence. Howe
 ver\, there is recent pressure from some philosophers of physics\, suc
 h as John Earman\, who argue that the standard Bayesian framework is n
 ot able to adequately model uncertainty about quantum events. Accordin
 g to these theorists\, the standard Bayesian framework needs to be adj
 usted to allow for belief functions over a non-commutative algebra of 
 events or observables. I argue that the claims for a need to revise th
 e standard Bayesian framework in this way\, by moving to a model based
  on "quantum probability theory" rather than "classical probability th
 eory"\, are likely overblown. I present some formal results that aim t
 o illuminate the relationship between the frameworks. I then suggest t
 hat although the new framework shouldn't replace the standard one\, it
  may still have several useful applications. I focus on Bayesian appro
 aches to quantum state tomography as a potential case study. 
URL:https://www.physics.wisc.edu/events/?id=9490
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