What is empirical evidence?

Answer

From the Miriam Webster online dictionary empirical means: 1 : originating in or based on observation or experience 2 : relying on experience or observation alone often without due regard for system and theory 3 : capable of being verified or disproved by observation or experiment

AND - From a Psychology dictionary : Derived from naturalistic observation of from experimental procedures.

Empirical evidence is evidence from observations. From my understanding it can be through naturalistic observation (the in depth observation of a phenomenon in its natural setting) or Experimental (maniplulating an independent variable to observe its effects on a dependant variable). Experimental evidence is much more reliable as naturalistic observations are vulnerable to researcher bias.

Theories of Knowledge

Empirical evidence is a fancy way of describing facts that can be experienced and tested only through the senses. I suppose you can only compare that to mathematical or logical facts, which depend on reasoning alone (as in the solution of a quadratic equation, for example).

Different types of `truth' are discussed by philosophers such as Aristotle, Kant, and Descartes, and the theory of knowledge is sometimes described as `Epistemology.' It's one of the most contentious areas of philosophy, particularly with reference to science and social sciences.

epw (B.A. in Philosophy)

Empirical Evidence in Scientific Research

Scientific evidence is considered empirical when it can be observed by many people and all will agree as to what they observed. An example would be reading a thermometer. No matter who observes the thermometer, it still displays the same temperature. The counterexample to this is physically sensing warmth or coolness. Observer A might sense that a room is warm, while observer B senses that the same room is cool. These observations differ depending on the observer, and are therefore considered subjective. Evidence that is not dependent on the observer (i.e., is objective), that appears the same no matter who observes the evidence, is considered to be empirical evidence.

dcs (PhD in Nutrition, research neuroscientist)