Inference Quote by Harold Jeffreys
“An observation, strictly, is only a sensation. Nobody means that we should reject everything but sensations. But as soon as we go beyond sensations we are making inferences.”
About This Quote
Source Book: The Theory of Probability by Harold Jeffreys, 1939
Sensations are raw data; inference adds interpretation, so we must recognize the gap between feeling and belief.
In simple terms: Feelings are data, thoughts are conclusions.
Key Takeaway
Question assumptions behind your perceptions.
Themes
epistemology
perception
inference
Mood
analytical
skeptical
Type
philosophical
critical
When to use this quote
- scientific research
- everyday decision making
- legal judgments
Key Concepts
cognitive bias
knowledge construction
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you distinguish sensation from interpretation?
- What evidence supports your inference?
A Different Perspective
Inference can be distorted by expectations.
![“What the use of P [the significance level] implies, therefore, is that a hypothesis that may be true may be rejected because it has not predicted observable results that have not occurred.” quote by Harold Jeffreys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/03a/harold-jeffreys-47480_being-true_what-the-use-of-p-the-significance-level_1333387.jpg)
![“...a consistency proof for [any] system ... can be carried out only by means of modes of inference that are not formalized in the system ... itself.” quote by Kurt Gödel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/bbd/kurt-g-del-26112_consistency_a-consistency-proof-for-any-system-can-b_86224.jpg)
