the products of a thing often supersede it. in this case, the development of inference is certainly a consequence of the development of the scientific method.

the products of a thing often supersede it. in this case, the development of inference is certainly a consequence of the development of the scientific method. but the validity of the latter is a mathematical consequence of the validity of the former. bayesian inference is more fundamental. another good book that informs my personal views on this matter: http://www.amazon.com/Probability-Theory-Logic-Science-Vol/dp/0521592712 http://www.amazon.com/Probability-Theory-Logic-Science-Vol/d...