Anecdotal Evidence

[Ravenshire]

Before this atrocity of equivocation goes any further, maybe we should take a look at what RoadRunner's looking for.

Anecdotes are never going to be accepted as evidence of anything, legal or otherwise. They are not evidence in any way, shape or form, nor are they meant to be.

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Testimony, on the other hand, can be used as evidence.

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Maybe you'd like to re-phrase the question RoadRunner since there really isn't such a thing as "anecdotal evidence." Even if we go with testimony, I've never heard of a conviction being handed down solely on the strength of witness testimony (please provide evidence of any claim to the contrary). Evidence is weightier than testimony and anecdotes aren't even that. They're stories for fucks sake. Many people use them to illustrate a point or as a teaching tool, but they're still only stories

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I too would like to hear RoadRunner's thoughts on all the anecdotes (and even witness testimony) of alien abductions seeing as he merely dodged the question put to him by Rhythm.

I agree with you, and it's why I have been saying since the beginning, that I think that the use of anecdote (as I have found it used here at times) is awkward.

 I honestly think many here speak of anecdotal evidence because there are so many anecdotes presented here as evidence by believers.

I don't have a specific example to look up (and don't think it would be that easy to google) as far as a conviction based only on witness testimony, however the following, gives many examples concerning the weight of testimony.  http://randalrauser.com/2013/12/rd-miksa...testimony/

I'm going to withdraw my objection about testimony alone getting convictions. It seems it happens frighteningly often (it's actually quite easy to google). I will instead present a counter to the link you provided, which struck me as an opinion piece by someone with an agenda. This link is to an article on the pros and cons of testimonial evidence. It also contains an embedded Ted Talk by a forensic expert on the efficacy of testimonial evidence. If you truly want to understand why most of us here tend to discount even eye witness testimony, and dismiss anecdotes and allegory out of hand, watch the video. Before watching the video, let me ask you ask you a question (the relevancy will become clear in the video). On 9/11, both of the trade center towers were destroyed. How long after seeing the first tower collapse did you see the second tower collapse? A few minutes? An hour or two? Hours later? The next day? Some time in the following week? Whatever your answer is, write it down before you watch the video.

This link is another look at the same issues as the video in the other link. Pretty damning stuff on the reliability of eye witness testimony.

As to the testimony concerning alien's, I do think that some accounts can be explained, but there are some also, which do have a hint of credibility to them.  There are some interesting parallels in abductions claims but most only have single witness support.  I am somewhat skeptical.

Actually, the question was regarding alien abduction, but I'll grant you broadening it to aliens in general. If you're skeptical of aliens visiting our tiny speck of the cosmos then surely you can understand our skepticism of religious claims. The actual evidence that can be presented for the case for God is exclusively testimonial and worse, it's (at best) hearsay. There is no physical evidence. No smoking gun, no DNA evidence, no forensic traces at all. Only writings which are, by the most liberal interpretation of the dating, a couple decades removed from the events they purport to report.

If the state were required to prove the existence of God beyond a reasonable doubt, I don't think, even considering what I've learned about testimonial evidence, they could satisfy their burden of proof with an unbiased jury.

ETA:
Apologies for taking so long to reply. I don't have the time I once had for the forums and I wanted to research my responses before I made them. Turned out to be a good idea since my responses wound up quite different from what I anticipated.