Suppose that Sammy Selective is zealously committed to belief B. “B must be true!” he says to himself. Yet he wants some evidence, which he finds in C. “C supports B, and everyone believes C!” he says to his friend, Frank. “I grant that C provides some support to B,” Frank replies. “But things aren’t so simple. D and E are likely to be true, and D and E seem to disconfirm B. How do you account for this apparent counter-evidence?”
The Stratagem of Selectivity
The Stratagem of Selectivity
The Stratagem of Selectivity
Suppose that Sammy Selective is zealously committed to belief B. “B must be true!” he says to himself. Yet he wants some evidence, which he finds in C. “C supports B, and everyone believes C!” he says to his friend, Frank. “I grant that C provides some support to B,” Frank replies. “But things aren’t so simple. D and E are likely to be true, and D and E seem to disconfirm B. How do you account for this apparent counter-evidence?”