SCIENTIFIC INFERENCE: AN OVERVIEW 11
that has no probability interpretation. Then, except for the limited large-sample cases
mentioned in the previous paragraph, there is no clear interpretation of the posterior
probabilities, which is a problem. See Chapter 2.3.1.
1.3 Scientific inference: An overview
Science can be defined as the systematic search for knowledge about the physical
world based on observation and experimentation. Statistical inference plays a funda-
mental role in the scientific method, as it provides a framework by which experience,
in the form of observed data, can be converted into knowledge. We define statistical
inference as follows:
statistical inference provides meaningful probabilistic summaries of ev-
idence available in the observed ...