Explanatoriness is evidentially irrelevant, or inference to the best explanation meets Bayesian confirmation theory

Abstract

In the world of philosophy of science, the dominant theory of confirmation is Bayesian. In the wider philosophical world, the idea of inference to the best explanation exerts a considerable influence. Here we place the two worlds in collision, using Bayesian confirmation theory to argue that explanatoriness is evidentially irrelevant. © 2013 The Authors 2013. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Analysis Trust. All rights reserved.