An empirical epistemology (ie, science) would suggest that events we did not observe are proven by finding undeniable evidence that they occurred. "Consensus" a

An empirical epistemology (ie, science) would suggest that events we did not observe are proven by finding undeniable evidence that they occurred. "Consensus" and "best available" are not part of it. We cannot say for sure that a theory is fact simply because we form a consensus around a hypothesis supported by the best available evidence. That evidence may be insufficient to incontrovertibly support the hypothesis and consensus has often been wrong in the history of science. I would go so far to say that there has always been a consensus view that later turned out to be totally wrong. The ability to doubt a proposition while simultaneously believing that it may indeed be true is a core psychological skill for any scientist. We ought not treat every theory that we believe to be true as "fact."