RE: Testimony: Are we being hypocritical?
November 19, 2017 at 1:39 pm
(This post was last modified: November 19, 2017 at 1:44 pm by LadyForCamus.)
To be clear guys: I'm not implying that these women's testimony should not be accepted. I'm saying the opposite. I do believe them. I do believe they are credible. I do accept their testimony. My point is, I've yammered on and on about testimony not being an acceptable form of evidence for any claim beyond the most mundane and inconsequential, and that more testimony does not equal better evidence.
But, in situations like these, where the crimes in question were so long ago that there simply isn't any physical evidence, I feel there is no reasonable alternative but to accept the testimony on its own. To posit that, for example, all of Roy Moore's accusers are part of a liberal conspiracy to take him down is completely irrational, and the more women who come forward, the more absurd the notion becomes. I find myself asking, 'how many women will it take for some of these guys to finally accept this?'
So, I've accepted a claim that is neither mundane nor inconsequential, and the more women who come forward, the more certain I am that the claim is true.
Obviously, supernatural claims are in an entirely separate category. I'm not conceding on any of that. I'm just saying perhaps there is more of a grey area with regard to testimony in the natural world than I was willing to see at first.
But, in situations like these, where the crimes in question were so long ago that there simply isn't any physical evidence, I feel there is no reasonable alternative but to accept the testimony on its own. To posit that, for example, all of Roy Moore's accusers are part of a liberal conspiracy to take him down is completely irrational, and the more women who come forward, the more absurd the notion becomes. I find myself asking, 'how many women will it take for some of these guys to finally accept this?'
So, I've accepted a claim that is neither mundane nor inconsequential, and the more women who come forward, the more certain I am that the claim is true.
Obviously, supernatural claims are in an entirely separate category. I'm not conceding on any of that. I'm just saying perhaps there is more of a grey area with regard to testimony in the natural world than I was willing to see at first.
Nay_Sayer: “Nothing is impossible if you dream big enough, or in this case, nothing is impossible if you use a barrel of KY Jelly and a miniature horse.”
Wiser words were never spoken.
Wiser words were never spoken.
