Response from Fitzhugh

摘要

I Appreciate Dr. Darling's concerns regarding application of the requirement of total evidence (RTE). The difficulty, however, is that Dr. Darling has correctly characterized neither the RTE nor current systematic practice.nnRationality is always a matter of degree. The intent of the RTE is to ensure that as much as possible we base our conclusions on all available relevant evidence, for such conclusions are the most rational. Dr. Darling claims that all systematic reasoning fails to meet the RTE, and therefore is irrational. Such a claim is incorrect for the simple fact that if researchers know they are actively excluding evidence from consideration, then it is just as easy to correct that error in the name of rationality.