Single Idea 16825

[catalogued under 13. Knowledge Criteria / B. Internal Justification / 3. Evidentialism / a. Evidence]

Full Idea

How can Best Explanation distinguish negative evidence from irrelevant evidence, when the evidence is logically consistent with the hypothesis?

Gist of Idea

How do we distinguish negative from irrelevant evidence, if both match the hypothesis?

Source

Peter Lipton (Inference to the Best Explanation (2nd) [2004], 05 'A case')

Book Reference

Lipton,Peter: 'Inference to the Best Explanation (2nd ed)' [Routledge 2004], p.76


A Reaction

There seems no answer to this other than to assess batches of evidence by their coherence, rather than one at a time. Anomalies can be conclusive, or pure chance.