Self-Validating Empirical Epistemology?

[robvalue]

Useful, practical knowledge about reality has been extremely highly correlated with empirical evidence and the scientific method. That is good evidence that evidence is good.

Results obtained this way tend to converge, and improve understanding. Results obtained in "other" ways tend to diverge and don't achieve anything practical.

When evidence is used to build the premises, and not later included to test a hypothesis, that's when we get pseudo-science.