Question

Hypotheses are either true or not. Justin is either a murderer or not. There is either a God or not.

If statements are either true or false, how can it be the case that certain forms of evidence weakly support a hypothesis and others strongly support a hypothesis? Shouldn’t it be the case that you either have evidence to believe in a hypothesis or you don’t, in a binary sense?

Answer 1

Hypotheses are not binary; their strength is determined by the amount of evidence supporting them. The more evidence that supports a hypothesis, the more likely it is to be true. However, strong evidence may not definitively prove a hypothesis.

Step-by-step explanation:

Hypotheses are not binary in the sense that they are either true or not. Instead, the strength of a hypothesis is determined by the amount of evidence supporting it. While a hypothesis cannot be proven conclusively, evidence can be used to support or weaken a hypothesis.

The more evidence that supports a hypothesis, the more likely it is to be true. However, it is important to note that even strong evidence may not definitively prove a hypothesis.