Positive Argument

A positive argument is an argument offered in favour of an idea — it tries to give a reason to accept the idea. "Going to a restaurant is a good idea because I'm hungry" is a positive argument for the restaurant idea.

CF, following CR, rejects positive arguments. The reasons:

1. Asymmetry. A universal claim ("all ravens are black") is refuted by a single counter-example, but cannot be proven by a million compatible observations. Pointing out 1000 good things isn't enough to prove an idea will succeed at its purpose.
2. Errors have logical priority over positive traits. No matter how many good traits an airplane has, a single engine mistake can crash it.
3. Refuting evidence is highly effective; confirming evidence isn't. CR says we learn by conjectures and refutations, not by accumulation of evidence.
4. Regress. A positive argument for A is itself an idea; it needs its own argument; which needs another; etc. You can't establish certainty or probability by positive arguments without falling into regress or dogma.

What to do instead

CF recommends translating positive arguments into negative arguments — see translation-of-arguments. Many positive claims can be cleanly rewritten as criticisms of alternatives, which is a perfectly valid CF move.

"Positive arguments and induction are errors." — criticalfallibilism.com