Testimony as a Source of Evidence

Testimony enables one person to share their evidence with another and is a crucial ingredient in reasoning, including scientific reasoning. Because testimony can be (and often is) inaccurate, we require some assurance of a source’s reliability before accepting their testimony. Such assurance can come in a variety of forms, and part of becoming a good reasoner is learning to assess the reliability of testimony in a variety of settings.

Topics

  • audience
  • assurance
  • evidence
  • expert
  • expertise
  • peer review
  • reliability
  • source of testimony
  • structure of testimony
  • testimonial accuracy
  • testimonial assurance
  • testimonial reliability
  • testimony