An Introduction to Evidence Science

The book discusses the subject and scope of evidence science and puts forward the new epistemological formula of "practice-evidence-knowledge-evidence-practice", which applies to the problem of evidence reasoning and knowledge acquisition that exist in different disciplines. Also, it demonstrates the history of evidence science and reveal the formation, development and maturing process of the traditional evidence theory, as well as the ideological origin and characteristics; clarifies the probabilistic path of judicial proof by probability theory of evidence. It introduces the theory of evidential reasoning, discusses the concept, nature and function the evidential reasoning through chart method, narrative method, the mixed methods and argumentation and story. It puts forward the basic principle in seeking for the truth through evidence-based decision-making. The game-theory rules and models are introduced, as well as the influencing factors of evidence-based decision-making such as fact, evidence, law and claims. It discusses the issues of evidential evaluation in both the general context and legal context, taking the decision-making activities as the frame of reference; discusses the trend of interdisciplinary development of narratology and the resulting “narrative turn” in evidence science through reviewing general theory of narratology. The book introduces the theory of evidential explanation. It analyses the relationships among fact, evidence and explanation from the perspective of hermeneutics; and theory of scientific evidence, discuss the effects of scientific evidence in judicial fact-finding.

This book is the research results of the "Evidence Science Theory System and Applied Research" project, which established in 2006 and, after 13 years, has taken a significant first step in the field of a broadly defined evidence science on the basis of a less expansive research endeavor aimed at integrating evidence law and forensic science.