Reference

Card F

Argument card

Nine questions that test an argument: claim, evidence, mechanism, alternative explanation, countercase, response, boundary, falsifier, and whether the confidence language matches.

1 min read

Claim. What should be accepted?

Evidence. What directly supports it?

Mechanism. Why does the evidence bear on the claim?

Alternative explanation. What else fits the facts?

Strongest countercase. What could materially weaken the conclusion?

Response. What survives the countercase?

Boundary. Where should the claim not transfer?

Falsifier. What would change my mind?

Confidence language. Does the prose match the evidence?