User:LGreg/sandbox/Approaches to Knowledge (LG seminar 2020/21)/Seminar 18/Evidence/Evidence in Philosophy

Evidence in Philosophy

Background

Philosophy alone is defined as "the use of reason in understanding such things as the nature of the real world and existence, the use and limits of knowledge, and the principles of moral judgment" Meanwhile, evidence is defined as anything that helps to prove that something is or is not true. Hence, particularly in philosophy of science and in epistemology, it is always necessary to also consider evidence, in order to understand one needs to decide whether something is true or untrue. Understanding the role of evidence in philosophy is therefore very important too, since it can form the base of a rational judgement of two different scientific theories that could change our perception of the world.

Evidentialism

Evidentialism is a thesis in epistemology that states that one can only be justified to believe something if and only if that person has evidence to support their belief. . Hence it suggests that evidence is necessary to have belief, rather than the contrary. Thus it can be easily countered with the endless regression argument, which makes us ask ourselves "what made the first piece of evidence become evidence?"

Underdetermination Of Scientific Theory

Underdetermination of scientific theory is the idea that evidence could be insufficient to decide what beliefs should be associated with it. This was a view held by philosopher Quine in the 20th century, which suggests that there are philosophical approaches to evidence that question its entire legitimacy as a concept.