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"Evidence" Under a Magnifying Glass: Thoughts on Safety Argument EpistemologyCommon definitions of "safety case" emphasize that evidence is the basis of a safety argument, yet few widely referenced works explicitly define "evidence". Their examples suggest that similar things can be regarded as evidence. But the category evidence seems to contain (1) processes for finding things out, (2) information resulting from such processes, and (3) relevant documents. Moreover, any item of evidence could be replaced by further argument. Normative models of informal argumentation do not offer clear guidance on when a safety argument should cite evidence rather than appeal to a more detailed argument. Disciplines such as the law address the problem with a practical, domain-specific epistemology. In this paper, we explore these problems associated with evidence citations in safety arguments, identify goals for a theory of safety argument evidence and a practical safety argument epistemology, propose a model of safety evidence citation that advances the identified goals, and present a related extension to the Goal Structuring Notation (GSN).


Document ID
20160006505
Acquisition Source
Langley Research Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Graydon, P. J. (NASA Langley Research Center Hampton, VA, United States)
Holloway, C. M. (NASA Langley Research Center Hampton, VA, United States)
Date Acquired
May 23, 2016
Publication Date
October 20, 2015
Subject Category
Air Transportation And Safety
Report/Patent Number
NF1676L-21485
Meeting Information
Meeting: System Safety and Cyber Security 2015 (SSCS 2015)
Location: Bristol
Country: United Kingdom
Start Date: October 20, 2015
End Date: October 22, 2015
Sponsors: Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET)
Funding Number(s)
WBS: WBS 999182.02.50.07.02
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.

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