Arguments from presumption are based on assumptions that are taken to be true unless and until contrary evidence becomes available.

The essays collected in the present volume investigate study of some fields of application of arguments from presumption in early modern practical thought that are all, in some way or other, of philosophical interest: The role of presumptions for the morality of derogatory judgments; the role of presumption in the justification of the binding power of laws concerning price regulation; the role of presumptions in theories of meaning, especially in the debate about the role of common linguistic usage for legal interpretation; the role of presumptions for problems in political philosophy such as the treatment of so-called excepted crimes (high treason and witchcraft), the question of whether usucaption (the acquisition of ownership through long-standing possession) can take place in international relations; the role presumptions in political decision-making as well as the moral and political significance of the presumption in favor of the justice of a given action.