Anecdotal Evidence

Notes

• Anecdotal evidence is a factual claim relying only on personal observation, collected in a casual or non-systematic manner.

• It's generally regarded as limited in value due to several potential weaknesses compared to objective and verifiable evidence.

• It may be considered within the scope of a scientific method as some anecdotal evidence can be both empirical and verifiable, e.g., in the use of medical case studies.

• Authority powers anecdotal evidence.

• It's a type of inductive argument.

• Anecdotal evidence is often unscientific or pseudoscientific because various forms of cognitive bias may affect the shreds of evidence.

• Some definitions of anecdotal evidence:

  • "Casual observations or indications rather than rigorous or scientific analysis."
  • "Information passed along by word-of-mouth by not documented scientifically."
  • "Evidence that comes from an individual experience."

References

• Wikipedia. Anecdotal evidence