Personal experience is valuable and powerful, but it is of little value for determining the truth or what reality is like for other people. Personal experience is anecdotal in nature. We may know what we experienced, but how could we know that others have experienced the same? Even if we found three people who shared our experience, at best, we could conclude that four people have experienced what we have. We can’t simply extrapolate from our experience that everyone else has the same experience/perspective as we do. We can’t just assume that our experience is representative of other people’s experiences.
To know how widespread and representative our experience/perspective is, we need more than anecdotal data – we need hard data. Polling and statistics serve this purpose. They seek to determine how common certain experiences and perspectives are in the general population. I can’t tell you how many times I have felt that my experience was common, only to find out from polling data that it isn’t; or how many times I have believed some X to be uncommon in society, only to find out that it was quite common (or vice-versa).
We should not place our personal experience above the facts when determining the truth. Personal experience is a factor, but it’s just one factor. If my personal experience leads me to believe that X is true, but the data shows that X is not true, then I need to correct my perception. My experience is still my experience, but I need to recognize that my experience is not necessarily the norm and should not be used to color my perception of reality. Perceptions should be based on facts, not anecdotal experiences.
P.S. As a public service announcement, for the sake of all mankind, please don’t use the phrase “lived experience.” Adding “lived” before “experience” adds no additional meaningful. It’s like saying “sufficient enough.” Every experience is a lived experience because the dead do not have experiences. ‘Nuf said.
Thinking to Believe 
June 19, 2020 at 1:58 pm
I agree wholeheartedly with your post. Claims from personal experience, testimonials, etc. really don’t mean anything to anyone except the person who had the experience. Evidence is what matters for making claims, and claims made without evidence can be dismissed without evidence.
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June 20, 2020 at 1:12 pm
Jason writes:
This is true, but there are of course nuances. If no physical evidence ties Person X to a murder, but three reliable people testify that they saw (personal experience) Person X commit the act, that is certainly relevant for a jury to consider. Indeed, their personal experiences may be the criteria upon which a conviction is based.
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June 22, 2020 at 10:37 pm
Scalia, yes, of course you are right. My intent was not to say experience is of no value. In some cases, it is of the utmost value (consider the disciples’ personal experience of the resurrected Jesus). I am merely trying to emphasize that experience is not above critique and questioning.
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December 14, 2020 at 2:00 pm
I would argue that personal experience is of paramount importance and offer the words of Jesus that supports it. Who among you will critique and question his words?
“Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness.” John 3:11.
Why?
Maybe too much critique and questioning?
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