Medieval theory trumped direct observation when the two conflicted

Evidence

The basic lines of theory were always stronger and more important than scientific observation. If they conflicted, observation usually proved the weaker; often it aroused no interest at all, but it was always subordinate. — Norman Daniel, Islam and the West, 1281

Categorization

• XREF: Parallels the psychology of motivated reasoning and confirmation bias—theory-driven processing overriding evidence. — connects to: Medieval writers mostly ignored that shared terms hid different meanings
• DEEPTHINKING: A concise statement of a deep epistemic pattern: precommitment to theory governs what data is even allowed to matter, not just how it is interpreted.