THE RATIONALITY OF TESTIMONY
What is testimony?
A testimony is a statement or endorsement given by 
someone who has a logical connection to the topic 
and credible source. Testimony can be used to 
explain or prove a point, and it is often used to refer
to the research of a species
Testimony is a very important part of philosophy.
Because the existence of an argument depends on 
the testimony given for it. Testimony directly 
influences the building of trust in people over an 
argument. The veracity of that argument must be 
clarified by giving reasons for the testimony 
available for this. The expression 'testimony' in 
everyday usage in English is confined to reports by 
witnesses or by experts given in a courtroom, or 
other formal setting. But in analytic philosophy the 
expression is used as a label for the process by 
which knowledge or belief is gained from 
understanding and believing the spoken or written 
reports of others generally, regardless of setting. In 
a modern society testimony thus broadly 
understood is one of the main sources of belief.
In philosophy, testimony is a proposition conveyed 
by person or group to another person or group, 
whether through speech or writing or through facial 
expression, that is based on the person's or group's 
knowledge base. The proposition believed on the 
basis of a testimony is justified if conditions are 
met which assess, among other things, the speaker's 
reliability and the hearer's possession of positive 
reasons. In short, testimony is the sole guarantee of 
the truth of a matter.
Testimony alone does not make people believe it. 
For that, the testimonies should be explained and 
the reasons for it should be given. For this, care 
must be taken with the logic of the testimonies. By 
presenting such logical evidence, action should be 
taken to instill confidence in people about it.
There are two types of testimony. That is peer 
testimony and expert testimony.
Expert testimony is testimony given by a person 
who is considered an expert by virtue of education, 
training, certification, skills, and/or experience in a 
particular matter. Peer testimony, unlike expert 
testimony, is provided by a person who does not 
have expertise in the subject in question.
Our epistemic dependence on past trusted testimony
People in the past had given more space to myth. 
So sometimes the truth was overshadowed by 
delusion. Those people believed that everything 
happens because of an act by a god or a powerful 
source. So people were afraid to argue. But with 
scientific discoveries it was completely different. 
There was a great deal of interest and curiosity in 
people to explore new knowledge. So people got 
rid of narrow mindedness and started arguing. This 
had a huge impact on the advancement of 
technology and science.
 The subversion of this myth and the tendency of 
people to seek new knowledge was a significant 
event that coincided with the renaissance of 
philosophy. Hence, people began to look at the 
changes in the environment logically. This was the 
basic foundation of social development. So people 
had to break free from the myth that was based on 
evidence from past rumors and seek new 
knowledge. This was a great contribution to the 
technological revolution.
References : Fricker, E., 2004. Testimony: Knowing 
through being told. In Handbook of 
epistemology (pp. 109-130). Springer, 
Dordrecht.
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