The Search for Certainty: a critical assessment

TL;DR

This paper critically reviews Burdzy's 2009 book, analyzing its philosophical critique of probability foundations, and concludes it has limited impact and questionable methodological relevance.

Contribution

It provides a critical assessment of Burdzy's arguments, highlighting weaknesses and questioning the introduction of new probability axioms.

Findings

The book exposes weaknesses in the philosophical duopoly of von Mises and de Finetti.

It questions the relevance of new probability axioms from a methodological perspective.

The review concludes the book has limited impact on statistical foundations and practice.

Abstract

The Search for Certainty was published in 2009 by Krzysztof Burdzy. It examines the "philosophical duopoly" of von Mises and de Finetti at the foundation of probability and statistics and find this duopoly missing. This review exposes the weakness of the arguments presented in the book, it questions the relevance of introducing a new set of probability axioms from a methodological perspective, and it concludes at the lack of impact of this book on statistical foundations and practice.