We use the US legal standard for evaluating evidence
How We Evaluate Evidence
Introduction: "a brick is not a wall". [TBD]
Evidence is not the same as proof
Evidence can be relevant or irrelevant
Evidence is relevant if it tends to make the issue at hand more or less likely to be true.
Evidence can be strong or weak
There are many kinds of evidence, some stronger than others
All relevant evidence (whether strong or weak) should be considered
- The strongest relevant evidence should be given the most weight.
- Relevance depends on the thing we're trying to prove. Examples:
- An Amazon breakstick review by a pitbull owner can be relevant to show that responsible pitbull owners carry breaksticks.
- However, that same review will probably not be relevant to the trope of Mistaken Identity.