Evidence and Corroboration

The third chapter of World Hypotheses: A Study in Evidence (1942) is philosophically dense, with definitions and vocabulary carefully specified.

Toward reducing cognitive load, an Object Process Sketch may help unpack some of the content.

A sketch covers the first three sections of Chapter III. > §1. Common Sense > §2. Tension between Common Sense and Refined Knowledge > §3. Types of Corroboration in Refined Knowledge In this diagram, the word _learning_ (as a process) is added to provide an appreciation for the whole endeavor. Pepper prefers nouns over verbs. Searching in _World Hypotheses_ (1942), the word _knowing_ only shows up in a quotation from John Dewey. Pepper doesn't use the word _learning_, which is a process rather than an object.

digraph Evidence { // Global setup rankdir = BT // Node list lk [shape=oval color="blue" label="Learning"] ev [shape=box color="green" label="Evidence"] {rank=same ue cc re} ue [shape=box color="green" label="Uncriticized\nEvidence"] cc [shape=oval color="blue" label="Cognizing\ncritically"] re [shape=box color="green" label="Refined\nEvidence"] {rank=same pd op} pd [shape=box color="green" label="Preanlytic\nData"] op [shape=box color="green" label="Opinion"] {rank=same db aw} db [shape=box color="green" label="Dubitandum"] aw [shape=oval color="blue" label="Accepting\nwithout\nreflection"] udb [shape=box color="green" label="Whole\nUncriticized\nDubitandum"] cl [shape=oval color="blue" label="Criticizing\nlegitimately"] co [shape=box color="green" label="Corroboration"] ob [shape=oval color="blue" label="Observing"] hy [shape=oval color="blue" label="Hypothesizing"] dt [shape=box color="green" label="Data"] dn [shape=box color="green" label="Danda"] cm [shape=oval color="blue" label="Corroborating\nmultiplicatively"] cs [shape=oval color="blue" label="Corroborating\nstructurally"] mm [shape=oval color="blue" label="Corroborating\nman with man"] ff [shape=oval color="blue" label="Corroborating\nfact with fact"] rt [shape=box color="green" label="Rough\nData"] hct [shape=box color="green" label="Highly\nCriticized\nData"] rn [shape=box color="green" label="Rough\nDanda"] hcn [shape=box color="green" label="Highly\nCriticized\nDanda"] // Adding edges ev -> lk [arrowhead="odot" label="requires"] ue -> ev [arrowhead="onormal" arrowsize="1.5" xlabel="consists of "] re -> ev [arrowhead="onormal" arrowsize="1.5" label="consists of"] ue -> cc [arrowhead="odot" label="requires"] cc -> re [arrowhead="onormal" arrowsize="0.8" label="yields"] pd -> ue [arrowhead="onormal" arrowsize="1.5" xlabel="consists of "] op -> ue [arrowhead="onormal" arrowsize="1.5" label="consists of"] db -> ue [label="is an instance of"] udb -> db [arrowhead="onormal" arrowsize="1.5" label="consists of"] aw -> ue [arrowhead="onormal" arrowsize="0.8" label="yields"] cl -> cc [arrowhead="onormal" arrowsize="1.5" label="consists of"] co -> re [arrowhead="onormal" arrowsize="1.5" label="consists of"] cl -> co [arrowhead="onormal" arrowsize="0.8" label="yields"] dt -> co [arrowhead="onormal" arrowsize="1.5" label="consists of"] dn -> co [arrowhead="onormal" arrowsize="1.5" label="consists of"] cm -> dt [arrowhead="onormal" arrowsize="0.8" label="yields"] cs -> dn [arrowhead="onormal" arrowsize="0.8" label="yields"] mm -> cm [arrowhead="onormal" arrowsize="1.5" label="consists of"] ff -> cs [arrowhead="onormal" arrowsize="1.5" label="consists of"] rt -> dt [arrowhead="onormal" arrowsize="1.5" label="consists of"] rn -> dn [arrowhead="onormal" arrowsize="1.5" label="consists of"] hct -> dt [arrowhead="onormal" arrowsize="1.5" label="consists of"] hcn -> dn [arrowhead="onormal" arrowsize="1.5" label="consists of"] rt -> ob [arrowhead="odot" label="requires"] ob -> hct [arrowhead="onormal" arrowsize="0.8" label="yields"] rn -> hy [arrowhead="odot" label="requires"] hy -> hcn [arrowhead="onormal" arrowsize="0.8" label="yields"] }

In the sketch, _Hypothesizing_ is shown as a process, rather than the _Hypothesis_ noun preferred by Pepper. The fuller explanation on Hypotheses is left to Chapter IV.

In the remainder of Chapter III are sections where Pepper clarifies his philosophical position. > §4. Data > §5. Data and Positivists

The diagram of _A Tree of Knowledge_ begins with _roots_ at the bottom, and stretches upwards to the _fruits_.