10 Quotes by Dennis Lindley

Whatever way uncertainty is approached, probability is the only sound way to think about it.

Generally there is Stigler’s law of Eponymy that says that a scientific notion is never attributed to the right person; in particular, the law is not due to Stigler.

It is dangerous to attach probability zero to anything other than a logical impossibility.

Utility is the emotion pleading to be let into the house of pure reason and thereby enriching it.

Uncertainty is a personal matter; it is not the uncertainty but your uncertainty.

In teaching there can be too much emphasis on certainty and a proper appreciation of uncertainty is to be encouraged.

The grand assertion is that you must see the world through probability and that probability is the only guide you need.

In my opinion, it helps enormously to know why something is true, rather than being told it is true, for why should you believe me? Never believe anything on the authority of a single person but seek confirmation – and reason is the best confirmation.

It is not surprising that in talking about uncertainty we should lean heavily on facts, just as the court of law does when interrogating witnesses. Facts form a sort of bedrock on which we can build the shifting sands of uncertainty.