Every serious inquiry begins with a claim. A claim may be religious, political, scientific, moral, historical, commercial or personal. Before accepting it, rejecting it or arguing about it, the first task is to understand it clearly.
Some claims are simple: a person says something happened. Others are wider: a religion claims a scripture is divinely revealed, a government claims a war is justified, a company claims a product is safe, or a culture claims that a tradition is morally acceptable.
Truth By Reason starts by asking: what exactly is being claimed?
Questions to ask
- Who is making the claim?
- What is the source?
- Is the claim factual, moral, spiritual, political or emotional?
- What evidence is offered?
- What assumptions are being made?
- Who benefits if the claim is accepted?
- Who or what may be harmed?
A claim should not be protected from examination because it is old, popular, sacred, profitable, patriotic or emotionally comforting. At the same time, questioning should be fair and specific rather than careless or abusive.
Evidence notes
This starter article is methodological rather than evidential. It sets out how future articles should approach claims before judging them.
Ethical questions
- Is it ethical to accept a claim without evidence when it affects other people?
- Can a comforting belief still cause harm?
- Should religious, political or cultural claims receive special protection from criticism?
Conclusion
To question a claim is not to attack the person making it. It is to take truth seriously. A claim that affects human life, animals, nature, freedom, suffering or public decisions should be open to honest examination.