Skip to main navigation Skip to search Skip to main content

Preference revision and Bayesian updating

Research output: Journal PublicationsJournal Article (refereed)peer-review

Abstract

Classical Bayesian arguments show how coherence between preference and credence grounds the norm of Probabilism. But these arguments are almost entirely static: they explain only how preference and credence must fit together at a given time. Once preferences change, the question arises: how should credences be revised in response? I develop an axiomatic minimal-change preference revision theory, in which some preference commitments are treated as more trusted and serve as reference anchors in revision. Focusing on standard event-occurrence inputs, I compare the induced revision dynamics with those implied by Bayesian conditioning, as captured at the level of preferences. The main convergence result shows that treating prior conditional preferences (together with preferences over constant acts) as reference anchors yields a unique admissible posterior preference relation that coincides with the Bayes-induced posterior preference relation. The framework also isolates a principled mechanism for divergence: alternative anchoring stances—especially those privileging selected unconditional commitments over conditional ones—can force revisions to conditional attitudes and thereby generate systematic departures from the Bayes-induced posterior preference relation.

Original languageEnglish
Article number244
JournalSynthese
Volume207
Issue number6
Early online date28 May 2026
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jun 2026

Bibliographical note

This article grew out of my PhD thesis, written under the supervision of David McCarthy, to whom I am deeply grateful for inspiration and many rounds of helpful discussion. I would also like to thank Jan Sprenger for his very helpful and constructive comments. I am also grateful to an anonymous reviewer for their careful reading and valuable comments. I am also indebted to my thesis reviewers—Richard Pettigrew, Max Deutsch, and Jennifer Nado—for their valuable suggestions. Thanks are due as well to the audiences at the Formal Epistemology Workshop 2025 and ISIPTA 2025 for their helpful feedback. Special thanks go to the commentator, Olav Vassend, whose comments have significantly improved the paper. Any remaining shortcomings are, of course, my own.

Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2026.

Funding

Open Access Publishing Support Fund provided by Lingnan University.

Keywords

  • Bayesian updating
  • Bayesianism
  • Credence revision
  • Minimal change principle
  • Preference revision

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Preference revision and Bayesian updating'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this