The real role of evidence

Week 1: reason ยท epistemology

The real role of evidence

Recognise that evidence selects between conjectures rather than generating them.

In this lesson

  1. Read the core idea (2 min).
  2. Walk through one worked example.
  3. Take the 4-question quiz; pass with 4/4 or better.

Hook

When a study comes out, the headline always says the same thing: 'evidence shows X'. The implication is that the evidence somehow created X, like a chemist isolating a compound from a solution. But that is backwards.

Evidence does not generate explanations. People generate explanations, and evidence is what we use to choose between rival ones. This lesson rebuilds that distinction so cleanly that you will never read a science headline the same way again.