The Logic of Chance; An Essay on the Foundations and Province of The Theory of Probability, with Especial Reference to its Logical Bearings and its Application to Moral and Social Science, and to Statistics by Venn, John - 1888

London: Macmillan and Co, 1888. Third edition. Hardcover. Very Good. 8vo. [5], vi-xi, 508 pp. Maroon cloth with gold lettering on the spine. Black endpapers and pastedowns. Illustrated with a few in-text diagrams. The third edition, revised and corrected. Oxford DNB, John R. Gibbins, "Venn, John (1834-1923)". Risse Logica 2, 122. Slater 967. John Venn was influenced by De Morgan, George Boole, and John Stuart Mill (all accomplished logicians). He pioneered the frequency theory of probability in this publication, in which "assertions of probability are understood as purely empirically based judgements on the recurrence of types of events over time, independent of an observer's feelings". Venn advised his reader to favour skepticism over belief. His analysis of the wide variety of uses of the term "probability" was original, with his argument that the theory of probability had uses for a limited portion of human actions. Venn's application of this argument to the moral sciences was an important contribution to the field of statistical and philosophical research. He was the first to craft the Venn diagram, a key tool in testing propositions and syllogisms, representing sets, and unions and intersections between multiple sets. These diagrams are still of course in use today in mathematics and in numerous other fields. An influence for J.M. Keynes and for other mathematicians, Venn's work and legacy helped galvanize the next generation of Cambridge-trained mathematicians. A Very Good or better volume with a touch of rubbing and general wear to the extremities.