We use the US legal standard for evaluating evidence
How We Evaluate Evidence[edit | edit source]
Introduction: "a brick is not a wall". [TBD]
Evidence is not the same as proof[edit | edit source]
TBD.
Evidence can be relevant or irrelevant[edit | edit source]
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[edit | edit source]
TBD.
There are many kinds of evidence, some stronger than others[edit | edit source]
TBD.
All relevant evidence (whether strong or weak) is considered[edit | edit source]
- The strongest relevant evidence should be given the most weight.
- Relevance depends on the thing we're trying to prove. For example:
- 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.