Anthropic Bias and over 360,000 other books are available for Amazon Kindle – Amazon’s new wireless reading device. Learn more

 

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
 
Express Checkout with PayPhrase
What's this? | Create PayPhrase
Sorry!
More Buying Choices
18 used & new from $97.41

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
Anthropic Bias: Observation Selection Effects in Science and Philosophy (Studies in Philosophy)
 
 
Start reading Anthropic Bias on your Kindle in under a minute.

Don’t have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here.
 
  

Anthropic Bias: Observation Selection Effects in Science and Philosophy (Studies in Philosophy) (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "HOW big is the smallest fish in the pond?..." (more)
Key Phrases: prior credence function, observation selection effects, reference class definition, Big World, Self-Sampling Assumption, Principal Principle (more...)
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

List Price: $110.00
Price: $97.41 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. Details
You Save: $12.59 (11%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

Only 2 left in stock--order soon (more on the way).

Want it delivered Thursday, November 12? Choose One-Day Shipping at checkout. Details
12 new from $97.41 6 used from $108.05

Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
  Kindle Edition $72.00 -- --
  Hardcover $97.41 $97.41 $108.05

Frequently Bought Together

Customers buy this book with The Anthropic Cosmological Principle (Oxford Paperbacks) by John D. Barrow

Anthropic Bias: Observation Selection Effects in Science and Philosophy (Studies in Philosophy) + The Anthropic Cosmological Principle (Oxford Paperbacks)
Price For Both: $124.36

Show availability and shipping details

  • This item: Anthropic Bias: Observation Selection Effects in Science and Philosophy (Studies in Philosophy) by Nick Bostrom

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    This item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. Details

  • The Anthropic Cosmological Principle (Oxford Paperbacks) by John D. Barrow

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    This item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. Details


Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Theory of Nothing

Theory of Nothing

by Russell Standish
5.0 out of 5 stars (2)  $15.99
A Student's Guide to Maxwell's Equations

A Student's Guide to Maxwell's Equations

by Daniel Fleisch
4.7 out of 5 stars (44)  $24.64
The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution

The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution

by Richard Dawkins
4.4 out of 5 stars (106)  $16.20
Envisioning Information

Envisioning Information

by Edward R. Tufte
4.5 out of 5 stars (60)  $23.04
Inherent Vice

Inherent Vice

by Thomas Pynchon
3.8 out of 5 stars (66)  $18.45
Explore similar items

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

This book breaks new ground by drawing attention to certain kinds of biases that permeate many parts of science and by developing a theory of how to correct for these biases.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 240 pages
  • Publisher: Routledge (July 12, 2002)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0415938589
  • ISBN-13: 978-0415938587
  • Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 0.8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,105,703 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

More About the Author

Nick Bostrom
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Visit Amazon's Nick Bostrom Page

Inside This Book (learn more)




What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Anthropic Bias: Observation Selection Effects in Science and Philosophy (Studies in Philosophy)
76% buy the item featured on this page:
Anthropic Bias: Observation Selection Effects in Science and Philosophy (Studies in Philosophy) 4.8 out of 5 stars (4)
$97.41
Theory of Nothing
10% buy
Theory of Nothing 5.0 out of 5 stars (2)
$15.99
Global Catastrophic Risks
7% buy
Global Catastrophic Risks 4.6 out of 5 stars (5)
$33.75
The Anthropic Cosmological Principle (Oxford Paperbacks)
7% buy
The Anthropic Cosmological Principle (Oxford Paperbacks) 4.3 out of 5 stars (21)
$26.95

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

 

Customer Reviews

4 Reviews
5 star:
 (3)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.8 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Deep, thoughtful - and yet so funny book!, September 11, 2002
By Milan M. Cirkovic (Belgrade, Serbia) - See all my reviews
Why the universe is just so? The question has been posed by scientists and philosophers for millenia, but only very recently have we accumulated enough physical and astronomical knowledge to be able to discuss these issues in a serious and quantitative manner. And, lo and behold! what modern cosmologists began to explore in earnest is a sort of necessary link between our own existence as intelligent observers evolved from the simplest procaryote lifeforms over billions of years and the properties of universe (and other universes!) at large. This link is technically called an observational selection effect, and if from now on anybody wishes to seriously study these matters, "Anthropic Bias" is without question an excellent place to start.

Bostrom's book makes amusing, although at times quite exacting, reading. Early on, he gives a splendid overview of the entire field of anthropic reasoning, much used and abused in the last quarter of century. Then, almost imperceptibly, he passes on to several instances in which the nature of the anthropic selection effect becomes clearer and clearer. From quantum cosmology to annoying traffic jams, from quantum mechanics to Adam and Eve thought experiments, from freak observers created by black holes' evaporation radiation to the (in)famous Doomsday argument of Gott, Carter and Leslie (not to mention future totalitarian world government and paranormal causation), the book reads as an exciting detective novel, as you rapidly change settings following the same thread of evidence to the main culprit: the universal observational selection effect, explained in detail in the Chapter 10, arguably the culmination of the drama. Here, Bostrom develops a theory which promises a unifying treatment of observations, in particular in cosmology, explicating in detail the accompanying Bayesian methodology. The unity of the underlying analysis is emphasized in the final Chapter, where new theory is aplied in several fields of contemporary research.

Probably the worst thing one can say about this book is that it is too short. After finishing it, the reader is left with the impression that the very scope of the new theory is such that there is enough material for entirely another book, or at least reconsideration of many issues treated previously. The re-reading potential is thus very strong. The reader will also find some consolation for finishing the book in a detailed and cleverly composed bibliography. In any case, she or he will probably never think about the relationship of man and the universe in the same way as before.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent as usual, April 10, 2009
By Rob Zahra (Manhattan, New York) - See all my reviews
This is a powerful unification and expansion of a number of papers Bostrom has written. He's usually many steps ahead of most other thinkers on whatever subject he's considering, and this appears to me to be the case here as well. I'm not fully comfortable with the conclusions about the relativity of one's choice of reference class, but I don't currently see any better solution. This book has made it much easier to think about the issues clearly. Highly recommended.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Thought-provoking, March 16, 2005
By Peter McCluskey (Mountain View, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This book discusses selection effects as they affect reasoning on topics such as the Doomsday Argument, whether you will choose a lane of traffic that is slower than average, and whether we can get evidence for or against the Many Worlds Interpretation of quantum mechanics. Along the way it poses some unusual thought experiments that at first glance seem to prove some absurd conclusions. It then points out the questionable assumptions about what constitute "similar observers" upon which the absurd conclusions depend, and in doing so it convinced me that the Doomsday Argument is weaker than I had previously thought.
It says some interesting things about the implications of a spatially infinite universe, and of the possibility that the number of humans will be infinite.
It is not easy to read, but there's little reason to expect a book on this subject could be both easy to read and correct.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars The Coin Isn't Fair
Nick Bostrom's ideas are interesting and relevant where apparently chaotic scenarios are applicable, but the reader should bear in mind that he fails to take into account the fact... Read more
Published on June 7, 2004 by Richard A. Ryals

Only search this product's reviews



Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   




Product Information from the Amapedia Community

Beta (What's this?)


Look for Similar Items by Category


Look for Similar Items by Subject

 

Feedback

If you need help or have a question for Customer Service, contact us.
 Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
Is there any other feedback you would like to provide?

Your comments can help make our site better for everyone.


Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.