MEPX
Chapter 2 of 10All chapters
  1. 1What it actually is
  2. 2Reading a claim
  3. 3Weighing evidence
  4. 4Judging sources
  5. 5Your own thumb on the scale
  6. 6Claims with numbers
  7. 7Cause and effect
  8. 8Persuasion techniques
  9. 9Information online
  10. 10Building the habit

Chapter 2 of 10

Reading a claim

What is being asserted, exactly.

Make it precise

Vague claims cannot be checked, which is often their function. Ask what specifically is being asserted, about whom, and how much.

  • Studies show is not a source.
  • Up to and as much as are marketing constructions with no floor.

Falsifiability

Ask what observation would count against the claim. If the answer is nothing, it is not a claim about the world, whatever it sounds like.