Q&A: Reliability of Testimony
Originally published:
This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.
Reliability of Testimony
Question
Hello,
I wanted to ask what, in your opinion, is the basic assumption behind trusting people’s testimony.
Does it stem from an evolutionary assumption? Or because telling the truth is the right thing to do, so most people will tell the truth as long as they have no opposing interest.
Answer
Are you asking in terms of Jewish law or in general? Clearly there is a factual assumption that they usually tell the truth. That can also be based on the experience we have accumulated, on the threat of punishment for a witness who lies, and so on.
Why did this in fact develop? Evolution, values, and self-interest (the categorical imperative expresses the latter two. See Column 122).
I meant in a general sense, even without fear of punishment.
It’s not an axiom, so the point is to clarify what its root is.