Can you prove a negative?
Yes.
Side Score: 24
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No.
Side Score: 13
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Of course you can. If I say "I am not a woman" and then show you my penis this is proving a negative. No this is just validating. If you assert that you are not a woman, and no one contends with so, then you are proving yourself as being a man. If someone were to say that your assertion is false then you can in a sense, in terms of grammar, verbally (as in using the word in the context of a verb) inject negativity (though it would be clumsy grammar; it would analogous to saying "I will show you why my statement is 'not false', as apposed to just simply saying 'true'). Side: No.
Yes. There are logical methods that revolve around proving/negating the inverse (negative) in order to qualify the attributes of the original. One of those most extreme (interesting) cases of proving the negative would probably be the proof of impossibility regarding various topics. Side: Yes.
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...? I asked for an elaboration not your position; I have not even proffered an argument yet? (EDIT: I see that perhaps my syntax was a little to complicated for you, to which resulted in your misappreciation. My statement was a simple request for an elucidation on the type of 'negative' that the creator was talking about.) Side: No.
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But, false negatives and false positives throw everything off. If you get a false positive and the negative that exists was not able to be proved. For false negatives you are proving a negative, but you are wrong. Does that mean we can't prove the negative because it isn't 100%? Side: Yes.
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