Evidence

Any piece of the Physical World that people necessarily interpret via theory.

Evidence can corroborate, falsify, or problematize theories. Conflicts between evidence and theory represent problems requiring resolution. Evidence is never raw or self-interpreting — it always requires explanatory interpretation.

Connections

• •Always theory-laden — refutes Empiricism and Inductivism
• •Can corroborate or falsify theories
• •Conflicts between evidence and theory create problems
• •Central to Critical Rationalism — but as test, not source of knowledge
• •Interpreted through explanations, not passively received
• •Relates to Phenomenology — mapping data to models
• •Distinguished from proof — evidence supports but never proves