A Semantic Journey from Data to Evidence, from Dynamis to Entelécheia

Among the various communicative settings where proof of the credibility of data used to corroborate evidence is particularly crucial, there is that of clinical research. In this domain, medical literature relies heavily on factual, quantitative data spun into the fabric of the evidence essential to clinical practice, especially after an approach called Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM) began to establish itself at the dawn of the present century. However, when can a datum or series of data count as evidence? Data are evidence in the virtual state awaiting realisation through inclusion in narrative discourse, while evidence is the end product of the “story” whereby the data called into play become meaningful and credible.