Evidence: Case 3
The Believed Fact and the Evidential Fact May Be Collateral Effects of the Same Cause

3a. I believe some people got seriously hurt because I see a crushed car on the ditch on the side of the road.

(The crushed car being in the ditch now and the people being seriously hurt are both collateral effects of a car crash.)

evidential factcausal relationbelieved fact
------------------------------
The car is now in the ditch.
<-- causes      causes -->
\      /
The car crashed.
People got hurt.


3b. I believe that a new CD by Paul McCartney will appear in the stores later this year because the record company web site says it will.

(The CD appearing in the stores and the web site saying it will appear are both collateral effects of the record company's plan to release the CD.)

evidential factcausal relationbelieved fact
------------------------------
The web site says the CD will be in stores later this year.
<-- causes      causes -->
\      /
The record company intends to release the CD later this year.
The CD will appear in stores later this year.


previous list next

Richard Lee, rlee@uark.edu, last modified: 14 March 2003