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Testimony is fundamentally linked to evidence as a source of justification for belief, with various epistemological theories debating whether testimony itself constitutes evidence [1], [2], [3]. Scholars analyze how testimony functions as a provider of evidence for a hearer [4], [5], and how it interacts with or is defeated by other forms of evidence [6], [7], [8].
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Epistemology of Testimony | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy iep.utm.edu 6 facts
accountIn the example provided by Goldberg (2005), a testifier (T) tells a hearer (S) that there is milk in the fridge based on evidence that is usually misleading because an eccentric writer (A) usually replaces the milk carton with an empty one, but A forgot to do so on this occasion.
claimWeiner (2003b) argues that viewing testimony as an assurance does not contradict the requirement that a recipient must have evidence for their testimonially-based beliefs.
claimPeter Graham argues that a speaker testifies if their statement that p is offered as evidence that p.
claimAlvin Plantinga criticizes the view that testimony is necessarily evidence, arguing instead that testimony only supplies evidence when the contingent human design plan provides for it, specifically in an environment where testifiers generally speak the truth.
claimC.A.J. Coady (1992) argues that a speaker testifies only if they possess the relevant competence and their statement that p is directed to those in need of evidence for whom p is relevant to a disputed or unresolved question.
claimAlvin Plantinga (1993) and Robert Audi (2006) suggest that testimony differs from sources like perception because testimonially-based beliefs can be defeated or trumped by other sources of evidence in ways that perception cannot.
Social Epistemology – Introduction to Philosophy - Rebus Press press.rebus.community 2 facts
claimRowley (2016) argues that the two-step reductionist solution implies that a speaker's testimony that a proposition is true provides the listener with evidence in support of that proposition, even without the listener receiving the speaker's original evidence.
perspectiveThe most effective strategy for non-reductionists is to provide an account of testimony as evidence that is both independently plausible and permissive enough to classify testimony as a non-reducible form of evidence.
Epistemology (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy/Fall 2019 Edition) plato.stanford.edu 1 fact
claimThe breadth of knowledge derived from testimony raises the question of whether personal experience provides a sufficient evidence base to justify the reliability of all testimonial sources.
Epistemological Problems of Testimony plato.stanford.edu 1 fact
claimThe 'Third Big Question' in social epistemology asks whether a hearer's belief, formed on the basis of a speaker's testimony, is justified by evidence, and if so, what the source of that evidence is.
Social Epistemology - Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy plato.stanford.edu 1 fact
referenceNick Leonard examines the relationship between testimony, evidence, and interpersonal reasons in his 2016 paper 'Testimony, evidence and interpersonal reasons'.