CF Dictionary A reference for Critical Fallibilism

CF Dictionary · Evaluating Ideas & Arguments

Refuted

An IGC is refuted if there is a known decisive criticism of it — i.e., at least one error has been identified.

An IGC is refuted when it has at least one known decisive criticism — at least one identified error. CF treats refutation as binary: there either is such an error or there isn't. There is no such thing as being partially refuted.

CF uses "refuted" deliberately in place of language like "wrong", "false", or "bad":

  • "False" implies the idea is wrong for all goals and contexts. CF keeps the goal/context explicit.
  • "Wrong" is informal and ambiguous; CF prefers the precise statement "refuted for this IGC."
  • "Bad" suggests a degree judgement that CF rejects.

If an IGC is refuted, CF says you should not accept it (or you have a contradiction). The next step is to find a non-refuted alternative — or change the goal, change the context, or change the idea.

"An error is a reason that an idea fails at a goal." — criticalfallibilism.com