The idea is that one statement which is definitely false seems a much more egregious violation of truthfulness than e.g. four statements each only 75% true.
Raising it to a power >1 is a factor correcting for this. The choice of four is a best guess based on thinking through a few examples and how bad things seemed, but I’m sure it’s not an optimal choice for the parameter.
(Unimportant: Why is falsity raised to the fourth power?)
The idea is that one statement which is definitely false seems a much more egregious violation of truthfulness than e.g. four statements each only 75% true.
Raising it to a power >1 is a factor correcting for this. The choice of four is a best guess based on thinking through a few examples and how bad things seemed, but I’m sure it’s not an optimal choice for the parameter.