Evidence
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Evidence | |
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| Type | Epistemic concept |
| Field | Epistemology; Philosophy of science |
| Core idea | Information that supports or undermines beliefs, hypotheses, or claims |
| Assumptions | Information can bear on truth; support relations can be evaluated |
| Status | Foundational concept |
| Related | Justification; Belief; Knowledge; Inference |
Evidence is an epistemic concept referring to information that supports, weakens, or bears on beliefs, hypotheses, or claims. Evidence plays a central role in justification, inquiry, and reasoning, serving as the primary basis on which beliefs are formed, evaluated, and revised.
Evidence is discussed extensively in epistemology and the philosophy of science, where questions arise about what counts as evidence and how evidential support should be assessed.
Core idea
At its core, evidence is information that makes a claim more or less credible. To treat something as evidence is to regard it as relevant to the truth or falsity of a proposition.
Evidence does not guarantee truth; it alters the degree of support a claim has relative to alternatives.
Evidence and belief
Evidence is closely connected to belief. Beliefs are often evaluated in terms of how well they are supported by available evidence.
A belief may be rational given the evidence even if it later turns out to be false, reflecting the distinction between justification and truth.
Evidence and justification
Evidence is commonly treated as a central component of justification. On many accounts, a belief is justified to the extent that it is supported by adequate evidence.
Disagreement persists over whether all justification must ultimately be evidential or whether other factors can justify belief.
Types of evidence
Philosophical discussions commonly distinguish among different kinds of evidence, including:
- perceptual evidence, arising from sensory experience;
- testimonial evidence, arising from the reports of others;
- inferential evidence, arising from reasoning or argument;
- documentary or recorded evidence, arising from stored information.
These categories are not mutually exclusive and may interact in complex ways.
Evidence and inference
Evidence functions as an input to inference. Inference uses evidence to support conclusions, generate explanations, or update beliefs.
Different inferential frameworks evaluate the strength of evidence in different ways.
Strength and relevance
Not all evidence is equally strong or relevant. Evidential strength concerns how much support the evidence provides, while relevance concerns whether the evidence bears on the claim at all.
Evaluating evidence requires judgment about both dimensions.
Evidence and uncertainty
Evidence is often incomplete, noisy, or ambiguous. As a result, evidential support is frequently compatible with multiple competing conclusions.
Managing uncertainty is therefore a central task in evidential reasoning.
Evidence in science
Scientific inquiry relies on evidence gathered through observation, measurement, and experimentation. Scientific evidence is typically public, repeatable, and subject to critical scrutiny.
However, scientific evidence is also theory-laden: what counts as evidence may depend on background assumptions and conceptual frameworks.
Evidence and disagreement
Disagreements often persist even when parties share the same evidence. Such disagreements may arise from differences in background assumptions, standards of relevance, or interpretations of evidential weight.
These cases raise questions about rational disagreement and evidential norms.
Limits and disagreement
There is no single agreed account of what evidence is or how it supports claims. Disagreement persists over whether evidence consists of facts, experiences, propositions, or relations among them.
These disagreements reflect broader debates about justification and epistemic normativity.
Status
Evidence is a foundational concept in epistemology and science. Its analysis clarifies how information supports belief and how inquiry proceeds under conditions of uncertainty and limitation.