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Abstract: Attorneys, statisticians, psychologists, political scientists and philosophers have written at length about efforts to describe the burden of persuasion in numerical terms. Less attention has been paid to quantifying the probative value of courtroom evidence. Professor Richard Friedman's paper, A Close Look at Probative Value, reveals the richness of this heretofore unexplored territory. Friedman describes three conceivable measures of probative value, and he concludes that only one of these is suitable for legal analysis. It seems worthwhile to note the broad range of plausible alternatives such as Likelihood Theory and Bayesian Inference, and this article both illuminates these possibilities and considers Friedman’s suggestion.
Keywords: Probative Value, Evidence, Richard Friedman
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