One definition of Knowledge is true belief based on strong evidence. What makes evidence strong enough and how can this limit be established?

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TOK             Eda Karaman

One definition of Knowledge is true belief based on strong evidence. What makes evidence strong enough and how can this limit be established?

Knowledge ‘includes, but is not limited to, those , , , ,  and  which to a  are either  or .’ In order to ‘know’ something one must need true belief based on strong evidence. That is, one must believe in a claim that is true with evidence and validation for the belief, in order to have knowledge of the claim being made. Even if the claim is a true belief but lacks credible evidence or justification, then it cannot be true knowledge. However, what makes evidence ‘strong’ enough, and how can this limit be established? By referring to various areas of knowledge, I will examine how each of these areas defines what information is valid, hence strong enough to indicate whether one thing is true or not!

What is evidence? Evidence refers to ‘anything that shows or makes clear what is true or what is not, such as facts, proof, etc.’ Therefore; strong evidence refers to having valid verification which is clear and hence, can be referred to as ‘true.’ Then, how do we know whether a claim is true. Truth is obtained through an agreement with fact, and the fact is known to be true. On numerous occasions, people will come across new knowledge or claims, things they may not know. However, how can they distinguish whether this knowledge is credible or not. With such cases, the need for strong evidence becomes an important factor. Do we believe what is told to us, or do we question the evidence behind what is being told. Believing something without being provided with adequate evidence would be useless. Even so, having evidence that is not ‘strong’ enough to provide us with a valid explanation will again be futile. We need to also keep in mind that all human beings will acquire knowledge. However, which of these claims appear as more plausible will be based on their preciseness, coherency and facts.

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Just as beliefs may be more or less justified, so mechanisms which produce them may be more or less reliable. Consider, for example, the fact that the more evidence we gain for a belief, the greater our justification for believing it. This mirrors the fact that processes which produce beliefs on the basis of large amounts of evidence will be more reliable than those which use lesser amounts of evidence.

As humans, we validate knowledge in different ways so that it appears convincing. We may accept knowledge without any evidence to support the truth or ...

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