CF Dictionary · Evaluating Ideas & Arguments
Translation of Arguments
CF's technique of rewriting positive arguments as negative ones (criticisms) to be compatible with CF principles.
Translation of arguments is CF's technique for converting apparently positive claims into negative ones. CF rejects positive arguments, but many things people say positively are basically fine once translated.
The standard translation
| Positive form | Negative translation |
|---|---|
| "A is good because it has trait B." | "Alternatives to A that lack trait B are bad." |
| "Buy the Honda — it's reliable." | "Cars that aren't reliable are worse choices." |
| "Eat the salad — it's healthy." | "Alternatives that aren't healthy are worse." |
The general rule: replace "X has positive trait T" with "alternatives lacking T fail at goal G".
Why translation helps
- More precise. The negative form spells out which alternatives are bad and which are not.
- CF-compatible. Negative arguments are accepted by CF.
- Surfaces hidden content. "A is good" can hide that B is the only thing being criticised, while C is left untouched.
When translation fails
If a positive argument cannot be translated to a negative form, it is wrong — there's nothing useful in it. CF says don't bother with positive arguments you can't translate.
"Often, some sort of translation will be easy and successful, so the original statement was actually basically fine even though it contradicted CF principles." — criticalfallibilism.com