Self-Locating Belief in Big Worlds: Cosmology’s Missing Link to Observation

Bostrom, Nick (2002) Self-Locating Belief in Big Worlds: Cosmology’s Missing Link to Observation.

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Abstract

Current cosmological theories say that the world is so big that all possible observations are in fact made. But then, how can such theories be tested? What could count as negative evidence? To answer that, we need to consider observation selection effects.

Keywords:self-locating belief, anthropic principle, self-sampling assumption, cosmology, indexical evidence, observation, indexical epistemology, observation selection effects, Bayesian, paradox, probability, underdetermination
Subjects:Specific Sciences: Probability/Statistics
General Issues: Confirmation/Induction
Specific Sciences: Physics: Cosmology
General Issues: Theory/Observation
ID Code:1625
Deposited By:Bostrom, Nick
Deposited On:23 Febuary 2004
Additional Information:This is a preprint of “Self-Locating Belief in Big Worlds: Cosmology’s Missing Link to Observation.” Journal of Philosophy. Vol. 99, No. 12. (2002)