{"product_id":"anthropic-bias","title":"Anthropic Bias","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAnthropic Bias\u003c\/em\u003e explores how to reason when you suspect that your evidence is biased by \"observation selection effects\"--that is, evidence that has been filtered by the precondition that there be some suitably positioned observer to \"have\" the evidence. This conundrum--sometimes alluded to as \"the anthropic principle,\" \"self-locating belief,\" or \"indexical information\"--turns out to be a surprisingly perplexing and intellectually stimulating challenge, one abounding with important implications for many areas in science and philosophy. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThere are the philosophical thought experiments and paradoxes: the Doomsday Argument; Sleeping Beauty; the Presumptuous Philosopher; Adam \u0026amp; Eve; the Absent-Minded Driver; the Shooting Room.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnd there are the applications in contemporary science: cosmology (\"How many universes are there?\", \"Why does the universe appear fine-tuned for life?\"); evolutionary theory (\"How improbable was the evolution of intelligent life on our planet?\"); the problem of time''s arrow (\"Can it be given a thermodynamic explanation?\"); quantum physics (\"How can the many-worlds theory be tested?\"); game-theory problems with imperfect recall (\"How to model them?\"); even traffic analysis (\"Why is the ''next lane'' faster?\").\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAnthropic Bias\u003c\/em\u003e argues that the same principles are at work across all these domains. And it offers a synthesis: a mathematically explicit theory of observation selection effects that attempts to meet scientific needs while steering clear of philosophical paradox.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"MediaPlace","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57310813192574,"sku":"NW9780415938587","price":135.85,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1379\/1261\/files\/9780415938587.jpg?v=1778583509","url":"https:\/\/mediaplace.com\/products\/anthropic-bias","provider":"MediaPlace","version":"1.0","type":"link"}