Hearsay and anecdotal evidence

Watch and listen as one person describes his encounter with God. As Sam Harris says, “prepare to be overwhelmed.”

https://screencast-o-matic.com/watch/c36oImVtJWW

Here’s what the author of Common Sense said about revelation

“Revelation when applied to religion, means something communicated
immediately from God to man. It is revelation to the first person only, and hearsay to every other, and, consequently, they are not obliged
to believe it. It is a contradiction in terms and ideas to call anything a revelation that comes to us at second hand, either verbally or in writing. Revelation is necessarily limited to the first communication.”

Thomas Paine

What is the definition of anecdotal evidence?

evidence in the form of stories that people tell about what has happened to them.

//His conclusions are not supported by data; they are based only on anecdotal evidence.

Merriam-Webster dictionary

Want additional information? Read the following article

Here’s the link.

Research 101: Anecdotal Evidence vs Scientific Evidence

Elizabeth Berger

What is Evidence?

In any research study, the goal is to generate some type of evidence for a particular purpose, namely for the pursuit of knowledge and the desire to prove or disprove an idea or theory. Good research challenges the status quo, advances our understanding, and drives improvement.  Solid research projects lead to good research findings, which build compelling stories that can dramatically inform and improve our approach to our work. However, it’s important to know what a quality research study looks like as well as whether it applies to your specific clients.

Scientific Evidence

When it comes to scientific evidence, there are a lot of numbers, terminology, and esoteric methodological factors that impact the relevance and utility of research findings. This makes it difficult for practitioners to understand the practical implications of the research and how to apply them to their practice. It can be an intimidating process to determine whether the research is valid, whether it pertains to your population, and how to apply it to your clientele.

Misconceptions

Perhaps one of the most common misconceptions is that between anecdotal evidence and scientific evidence. Anecdotal evidence is information collected in an informal manner and often relying heavily on personal testimony, such as a case study approach (or one yoga teacher’s experience with clients). While anecdotal evidence is generally limited in value due to several types of bias, scientific evidence relies on more rigorous methods. Anecdotal evidence includes the first articles published on new topics, comprising most of what we see online, in the news, and on social media. However, we can’t rely on anecdotal evidence exclusively because it is highly susceptible to error attributed to personal biases and preconceived notions.

Author: Richard L. Fricks

Former CPA, attorney, and lifelong wanderer. I'm now a full-time skeptic and part-time novelist. The rest of my time I spend biking, gardening, meditating, photographing, reading, writing, and encouraging others to adopt The Pencil Driven Life.

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