The Foundations of Causal Decision Theory by James M Joyce

The Foundations of Causal Decision Theory by James M Joyce

This book defends the view that any adequate account of rational decision making must take a decision maker's beliefs about causal relations into account. The early chapters of the book introduce the non-specialist to the rudiments of expected utility theory. The major technical advance offered by the book is a 'representation theorem' that shows that both causal decision theory and its main rival, Richard Jeffrey's logic of decision, are both instances of a more general conditional decision theory. The book solves a long-standing problem for Jeffrey's theory by showing for the first time how to obtain a unique utility and probability representation for preferences and judgements of comparative likelihood. The book also contains a major new discussion of what it means to suppose that some event occurs or that some proposition is true. The most complete and robust defence of causal decision theory available.

"The author writes in a style that is on the one hand entertaining and lighthearted and on the other hand highly technical in its analysis of axiomatic foundationsReaders who are interested in theoretical, prescriptive decision making from a philosophical perspective will find this a valuable book." Journal of Mathematical Psychology
"This book makes a significant contribution to the standard decision theory." Chrisw Swoyer Univ. of Oklahoma

James Joyce was an Irish novelist, short story writer, and poet who lived from 1882 to 1941. He was born and raised in Dublin, where he excelled as a student and went on to become one of the most prominent and acclaimed authors of his day. Traveling about Europe in search of teaching work while raising a family did not stop him from writing innovative works of fiction such as the short story collection Dubliners and the acclaimed novel Ulysses. Joyce's seminal work, widely regarded as one of the most important representatives of literary modernism, will never cease to captivate, trouble, or reward readers ready to enter his universe.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780521063562
ISBN 10	0521063566
Title	The Foundations of Causal Decision Theory
Author	James M Joyce
Series	Cambridge Studies In Probability Induction And Decision Theory
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Cambridge University Press
Year published	2008-05-29
Number of pages	284
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.