|Word Count: 1240 Words |
Evidence is a thing or things that help in attaining knowledge. The statement “that which can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence” means that it is possible to confirm and dismiss the same if there is no evidence or proof to form an undebatable judgement. In this essay I am going to analyse this quote from the prospective of different Areas of Knowledge. I will proceed in this way because they differ from each other not only in the branch of human knowledge that they cover, but also in the Ways of Knowing used to gain the evidence on which each Area of Knowledge is based. My argument will agree with the statement discussed in most Areas of Knowledge, however it will also notice that the statement cannot be applied in particular Areas of Knowledge.
“A wise man,” wrote Hume, “proportions his belief to the evidence.”[1] What the british humanist said with this quote was that what human belief is very closely related to the evidence thay have as men can believe the truth of a statement only if this is based upon evidence. Therefore, if we consider Hume’s point, the quote “that which can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence” is not heavily relevant to knowledge as nothing wise men believe and assume should be based without evidence.
The first Area of Knowliedge I will consider is the one of Natural and Human Sciences. These are branches of human knowledge which are based upon the scientific method. Therefore, in Sciences knowledge is asserted (and dismissed) using concrete empirical evidence . Assuming that this is always the case, in theory the quote that I am analysing would therefore not have a