Reasoning with Data

The course aims at developing the logico-mathematical background to assess critically the logic and epistemology of inductive reasoning, or "reasoning with data". In addition to making students familiar with the relevant elementary logical, probabilistic and statistical notions, it focusses on how the formalisation of inductive inference sheds crucial methodological light on the "datacentric" revolution, which is currently dotting the development of the natural and social sciences.

Knowledge acquisition and understanding:
Students are expected to acquire a full understanding of the formal notions presented and master basic knowledge of the following topics:
- know the central concepts and reasoning tools of discrete mathematics
- know the central concepts in elementary probability theory
- know how to apply elementary logic to formalize probabilistic concepts
- understand the epistemological questions related to inductive reasoning
- understand the relevance of a proper the epistemology of inductive inference in the wider methodological discussion on "big data"

Skills acquisition and ability to apply knowledge:
Students are also expected to develop an ability to apply this basic knowledge to solve simple problems and to engage in further research within more advanced projects in specific applications of their interest. In particular at the end of the course, students will be able to
- read and evaluate the scientific literature on inductive reasoning
- apply the tools learnt to solve scientific, philosophical and practical problems
- appreciate the relevance of inductive logic in the current debate on the datacentric revolution in the methodology of the social sciences.