Abstract
DR. JEFFREYS implies in his letter in NATURE of September 17 (p. 535) that a prior probability cannot have a frequency interpretation. That there are several usages of the word probability is well recognized—it is a frequency, a mathematical result, a state of mind, or a degree of rational belief, depending on the circumstances. Jeffreys' point of view must be insisted on only when the conditions under which an experiment is performed are not subject to repeated sampling. However preponderant these circumstances may be in practice, it is important that consideration be given to problems in which the frequency interpretation does apply to the prior probabilities, since the frequency interpretation is the only one that is operationally verifiable.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
DEMING, W. Frequency Interpretation in Inverse Probability. Nature 143, 202–203 (1939). https://doi.org/10.1038/143202a0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/143202a0
This article is cited by
-
Frequency Interpretations in Probability
Nature (1939)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.
