Establishing a proposition or theoretical point as being true. However, even a valid argument cannot truly be proven if its underlying premise is false. All Buicks are cars. I have a car. Therefore, my car must be a Buick. The last statement is false and does not hold up to proof. When considering the empirical sciences, logical and methodological issues make proving a hypothesis true impossible. Those sciences must depend on probalism based on sound empirical support. In law, proof consists of evidence that support acclaims made by either side of a dispute. In law, only that evidence properly presented in court can be used in determining proof. In criminal cases especially, the burden is high, requiring proof beyond a reasonable doubt.
PROOF: "The jury considered the defendant's fingerprints on the murder weapon and the same bloody prints on the table as proof for conviction."
Cite this page: N., Sam M.S., "PROOF," in PsychologyDictionary.org, April 28, 2013, https://psychologydictionary.org/proof/ (accessed March 21, 2023).
