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Laplace’s Theory of Inverse Probability, 1774–1786

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Abstract

Pierre Simon Laplace (1749–1827) was born into a middle-class family at a small town in Normandy, where he spent his first 16 years. His father destined him for an ecclesiastical career and sent him to the University of Caen, where he matriculated in the Faculty of Arts with the intention to continue in the Faculty of Theology. However, after two years of study he left for Paris in 1768 bringing along a letter of recommendation from his mathematics teacher to d’Alembert. After having tested his abilities, d’Alembert secured him a post as teacher of mathematics at the école Militaire. He lived in Paris for the rest of his life.

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(2007). Laplace’s Theory of Inverse Probability, 1774–1786. In: A History of Parametric Statistical Inference from Bernoulli to Fisher, 1713–1935. Sources and Studies in the History of Mathematics and Physical Sciences. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-46409-1_5

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