This is a history of the use of Bayes theoremfrom its discovery by Thomas Bayes to the rise of the statistical competitors in the first part of the twentieth century. The book focuses particularly on the development of one of the fundamental aspects of Bayesian statistics, and in this new edition readers will find new sections on contributors to the theory. In addition, this edition includes amplified discussion of relevant work.

This is a history of the use of Bayes theoremfrom its discovery by Thomas Bayes to the rise of the statistical competitors in the first part of the twentieth century. The book focuses particularly on the development of one of the fundamental aspects of Bayesian statistics, and in this new edition readers will find new sections on contributors to the theory. In addition, this edition includes amplified discussion of relevant work.

This volume brings together a collection of essays on the history and philosophy of probability and statistics by one of the eminent scholars in these subjects. Written over the last fifteen years, they fall into three broad categories. The first deals with the use of symmetry arguments in inductive probability, in particular, their use in deriving rules of succession. The second group deals with three outstanding individuals who made lasting contributions to probability and statistics in very different ways: Frank Ramsey, R.A. Fisher, Alan Turing, and Abraham de Moivre. The last group of essays deals with the problem of "predicting the unpredictable."

This book provides a selection of pioneering papers or extracts ranging from Pascal (1654) to R.A. Fisher (1930). The editors'annotations put the articles in perspective for the modern reader. A special feature of the book is the large number of translations, nearly all made by the authors. There are several reasons for studying the history of statistics: intrinsic interest in how the field of statistics developed, learning from often brilliant ideas and not reinventing the wheel, and livening up general courses in statistics by reference to important contributors.