Confirmation Theory is a branch of epistemology and philosophy of science that investigates the principles and processes by which evidence supports or undermines hypotheses. It explores how scientific theories are validated or refuted through empirical observation, focusing on the logical and probabilistic relationships between evidence and belief.
Theoretical virtues are criteria used to evaluate the quality and acceptability of scientific theories, guiding the preference for one theory over another based on their epistemic merits. These virtues include simplicity, coherence, explanatory power, and predictive accuracy, and they help in assessing how well a theory aligns with empirical data and existing knowledge.