Tatsachenbasis

Tatsachenbasis is a German term used to describe the factual foundation on which a claim, argument, or decision rests. It refers to the observed facts, empirical data, measurements, and concrete circumstances that can be verified and are relevant to the issue at hand.

In philosophy, science, and everyday discourse, the Tatsachenbasis serves as the evidential content that justifies a conclusion. It is often contrasted with normative assumptions, theoretical postulates, or interpretations, highlighting a distinction between what can be empirically supported and what is warranted by values or theories alone. The term is closely related to ideas such as evidenz, Begründung, and Faktengrundlage, and it is sometimes used interchangeably with Faktenbasis, though usage can vary by context.

In legal and procedural contexts, the Tatsachenbasis denotes the factual elements found in evidence upon which rulings or claims are grounded. Courts, researchers, and professionals emphasize that decisions should be based on the Tatsachenbasis established through observation, testimony, documents, and other verifiable sources.

Examples of use include claims that are supported by a body of data or observations, such as a medical finding backed by clinical trial results, or a policy argument grounded in demographic statistics. Critics may note that the Tatsachenbasis can be theory-laden or contested, since different interpretations of the same data can yield different conclusions.

See also: Faktenbasis, Faktengrundlage, Evidenz, Begründung. The term Tatsachenbasis is formed from Tatsachen (facts) and Basis (basis) and is common in German-language discourse to emphasize empirical grounding.