Logic, Probability Theory, and their Application to Legal Reasoning
- Soaad Hossain
Abstract
Both the use of logic and probability theory are heavily applied in
many, if not all, areas and industries due to what they can offer. Logic
is well known for enabling one to comprehend many things which include
intentions, behavior, beliefs, intelligence, knowledge and languages,
and to create algorithms designed to solve simple and complex problems.
Probability theory is specifically designed to address uncertainty,
which uncertainty exists everywhere. Through pairing probability theory
with other disciplines is one able to address uncertainty in other
fields. Combined, logic and probability theory enable one to address
complex problems in law. This paper will first describe logic and
probability theory, then address their application to legal reasoning.
Accordingly, I argue that logic and probability theory can be used to
validate thoughts and arguments made by lawyers and judges, allowing for
better understanding of the validity, coherency, truthfulness of their
arguments, and the correctness of the statements and decisions made by
them.