Knowledge, Opinion, & Evidence

 

Knowledge: justified, true belief

 

  1. Difficulties with “true”

 

  1. Difficulties with “justified”

 

  1. Why knowing is difficult
    1. Some questions resist answers
    2. Lack of precedent
    3. We – collectively and individually – forget
    4. “Common knowledge”

 

  1. What about faith?

 

Opinions: Matters of Taste vs. Considered Judgments

 

  1. Four kinds of errors related to opinion
    1. Those common to most people
    2. Those associated with individual habits of mind
    3. Those associated with the limits of expression
    4. Those common to a particular time and place

 

  1. Informed vs. Uninformed Opinion

 

  1. Forming Well-Reasoned Opinions
    1. Understand how opinions are formed
    2. Opinions are not facts
    3. Critical self-evaluation

 

Evidence: what counts?

 

 

Personal Experiences

Experimentation

Second-hand News

Statistics & Surveys

Documented Reports

Observations

Testimony

Research Reviews

 

 
  1. Evaluating Evidence & Sufficient Evidence