evidentialist

An evidentialist is a proponent of evidentialism, an epistemological view about justification and belief formation. In its core form, evidentialism holds that the justification of a belief depends solely on the evidence supporting it, and that beliefs should be proportioned to the strength and relevance of that evidence. The label “evidentialist” is thus used for philosophers who advocate this evidential standard, and for those who apply it to various kinds of beliefs, including scientific, everyday, and religious claims.

Core tenets typically include the claim that a belief is justified to the extent that it is supported by appropriate evidence and that, in the absence of adequate evidence, belief is unjustified or warranted only minimally. Evidence can include empirical data, logical inferences, testimony, and other sources that are appropriately relevant to the proposition. Some evidentialists endorse internalist versions, where justification depends on evidence accessible to the believer’s conscious awareness, while others accept externalist variants in which reliable processes or defeasible support can count as evidence even if not fully accessible to the thinker.

Relation to other theories is central to the discussion of evidentialism. It is contrasted with foundationalism, coherentism, and reliabilism, and debates often focus on issues such as the scope of evidence, the handling of underdetermination, and how evidential standards apply to contentious or religious beliefs.

Critics argue that evidentialism can demand excessive justification, neglect the role of pragmatic or contextual factors, and struggle with what counts as relevant evidence. Proponents respond by refining what counts as evidence and by distinguishing between prima facie and undefeated justified beliefs.