Legal Examples
Statistical syllogisms may be used as legal evidence but it is usually believed that a legal decision should not be based solely on them. For example, in L. Jonathan Cohen's "gatecrasher paradox", 499 tickets to a rodeo have been sold and 1000 people are observed in the stands. The rodeo operator sues a random attendee for non-payment of the entrance fee. The statistical syllogism:
- 501 of the 1000 attendees have not paid
- The defendant is an attendee
- Therefore, on the balance of probabilities the defendant has not paid
is a sound one, but it is felt to be unjust to burden a defendant with membership of a class, without evidence that bears directly on the defendant.
Read more about this topic: Statistical Syllogism
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