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MIXORA CONCEPT

Evidence

Information that raises, lowers or otherwise constrains rational confidence in a claim.

thoughtbridgeStrong evidence
IN PLAIN LANGUAGE

Evidence must be evaluated for relevance, reliability, independence and fit with competing explanations. Repetition by dependent sources does not necessarily create independent support.

What “Strong evidence” means

The core definition or effect is well established across authoritative standards, foundational research or a broad research literature. The label does not make every practical prediction certain.

Marker-board illustration created specifically to explain Evidence: Information that raises, lowers or otherwise constrains rational confidence in a claim.VISUAL EXPLANATION · MARKER BOARD
Information that raises, lowers or otherwise constrains rational confidence in a claim.
EXAMPLE

Five articles repeating one press release are closer to one source than five independent measurements.

COMMON CONFUSION

Information can be relevant evidence without being decisive proof.

ASK YOURSELF

What observation would count against the claim as well as for it?

RELATED CONCEPTS
thoughtPremise

A statement offered as a reason for accepting a conclusion.

→thoughtInductive reasoning

Reasoning in which evidence supports a conclusion to some degree without guaranteeing it.

→thoughtConfirmation bias

A tendency to seek, interpret or remember information in ways that favor an existing belief or hypothesis.

→thought × bridgeCausation

A relationship in which changing one factor makes a difference to another outcome under relevant conditions.

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SOURCES & TRUST

References

Last reviewed

  1. 01
    Confirmation

    Franz Huber · Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

    Philosophical models of how evidence supports hypotheses.
    Reference source
  2. 02
    Underdetermination of Scientific Theory

    Kyle Stanford · Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

    Why the same observations can remain compatible with multiple causal explanations.
    Reference source
What the source labels mean
Primary source
Original work, experiment, standard or historical text.
Academic source
Scholarly research or review published for an academic audience.
Reference source
An expert standard, encyclopedia or institutional explanation that summarizes a field.
General reference
A practical specialist resource useful for application, but not treated as decisive research by itself.