Discussion questions

HSP 135-01
Albion College
Fall 02025

Discussion questions for TLC, Ch. 5-6
DL: Alex

1. De Morgan argued that probability measures the quantity of belief, but critics pointed out that humans are often affected by emotions such as fear and hope when making decisions. To what extent can subjective belief ever serve as a foundation for probability? (p. 166)

2. If randomness can result from both deliberate design, like a computer program, and natural processes like weather, should we define randomness by process or by statistical outcome?

3. Define the difference between the popular sense of randomness and the scientific sense, and is there a practical use of the popular sense?

4. If the emotional response of being surprised occurs across rare events, should these emotions play a role in how we define probability, or should it be narrowly focused on objective calculations?

5. On Page 195, Venn mentions the Archbishop Thomson's Law of Thought. What are the benefits of this thinking, and why is it not applicable in a modern sense?