Non-Refuted

An IGC is non-refuted when no decisive criticism is known. CF treats this as the only "positive" status an idea can have. It is not a claim that the idea is true or probably true or good — it is the absence of a known error.

This is CF's Yes or No stance. Because refutation is the only thing that changes an IGC's status, an idea is either refuted (and rejected) or non-refuted (and tentatively accepted, awaiting criticism).

Important non-implications

Being non-refuted does not mean:

• True. Truth is an ideal; CF is fallibilist.
• Probably true. CF rejects credences and Bayesian probability scoring.
• Strong. CF rejects strong/weak arguments. If a criticism exists that refutes you, you are refuted, regardless of how "strong" or "weak" the criticism seems.
• Permanent. A new argument can refute a previously non-refuted IGC. Until then, it's non-refuted; never "true".

CF's posture is act on non-refuted plans. You need a plan you don't already know is wrong. You don't need a plan you've proven right (impossible by regress).

"There is no partial refutation; indecisive arguments simply don't refute IGCs." — criticalfallibilism.com