Refutation

A refutation is a decisive negative argument — a criticism that, if accepted, means you cannot accept the IGC it targets. Refutation is the only way an idea gets refuted in CF.

CF, following CR, holds that:

• One refutation is enough. A single counter-example or logical flaw can refute a universal claim.
• A million confirming cases don't refute, but one counter-example does. This is the asymmetry at the heart of CR.
• Refutation is fallible. A refutation is itself an idea and can be wrong; but if you accept both the refutation and the refuted IGC, you have a contradiction.

What is not a refutation

• Indecisive arguments ("this is somewhat weak", "I'm not sure").
• Statements about strength or degree ("this is 70% refuted").
• Positive arguments against a competing idea (those refute the rival, not this one).

For CF, an indecisive argument isn't a partial refutation; it's simply not a refutation. See indecisive-argument.

Translation note

CF often translates apparently positive claims into refutations. "X is good because it has trait B" can be re-stated as "alternatives to X that lack B are bad" — a criticism of the alternatives, not a positive claim about X. See translation-of-arguments.

"A decisive negative argument contradicts its target being true (it says the idea must fail at its purpose)." — criticalfallibilism.com