Evidence

Evidence is information that supports or undermines a claim, used to justify decisions, beliefs, or actions. Evidence can take many forms and its weight depends on context and quality. Evidence is not the same as proof; most domains treat certainty as probabilistic rather than absolute.

Common types include direct evidence (an eyewitness seeing an event), circumstantial or indirect evidence (inference from related facts); and material forms such as documents, records, physical objects, photographs, or digital data. Testimonial evidence involves statements by people, while statistical or experimental data provide quantitative support. Evidence can be qualitative or quantitative.

In law, evidence must be relevant and admissible, with standards like proof beyond a reasonable doubt or preponderance of the evidence. In science, evidence is evaluated by reproducibility, empirical adequacy, and methodological rigor; hypotheses must be testable and falsifiable, and results should be replicable. In history and journalism, corroboration across independent sources strengthens credibility.

Evaluating evidence involves assessing reliability, credibility of sources, potential biases, context, and chain of custody for physical or digital items. It also requires awareness of logical fallacies and confusion of correlation with causation. Evidence is often probabilistic, providing support rather than definitive conclusions.

Epistemologically, evidence constitutes reasons for belief and is central to justification. Good evidence aligns with established theories and can be updated in light of new information. Misuse of evidence, such as cherry-picking or selective reporting, undermines rational assessment.