No: empirical data can only falsify explanations or reveal problems demanding new ones.
Too bad students are often taught "data proves X."
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Related nuisance: "see, this study proves X" [300 other studies show other, mixed results]
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Per Dijkstra: "Program testing can be used to show the presence of bugs, but never to show their absence!"
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or worse, they're taught that it's just a hurdle that can be hopped through sloppy negation.
