An argument may be evaluated for its basis, quality, type, and outcome. These are handy guidelines which the ethical skeptic may employ to keep a close watch on his propositions, so as to improve the overall value and clarity of his delivery.
The making of an argument is a set of propositions expressed with the intent of persuading through reasoning. In an argument, a subset of propositions, called premises, constraints and predicates, provides support for some other proposition called the conclusion. Ethical skepticism demands that one watch for the characteristic traits which can improve or weaken an argument. In bold in the graphic below, are the hallmark traits inside an argument which hint to me, the brilliance in its offing.
Proposition – statement that is either true or false, but not both. For example, ‘tungsten has a larger atomic mass than does lithium’. A proposition should not be orphan, that is, it should reside on a path leading to a reduction in the entropy of knowledge and understanding. Stand alone propositions may in fact be true, but if they are used to coerce/mislead, they are rhetoric.
Premise – a proposition that provides support to an argument’s conclusion. An argument may have one or more premises. Generally a premise is critical path to the argument being made, whereas a primer may not be.
Prefatory/Primer – a review of past valid or strong arguments, prior art on the subject, a summary of associated tenets, predicates or propositions which prepare and add clarity to the outlay of a successive argument or story. Generally these can be critical path or not critical path, so long as they add value and are not ingens vanitatum distractions or an attempt at intimidation.
Constraint – a predicate based parameter or assumption which serves to improve the quality/focus of an argument or improve the value or clarity of an experiment or model.
Predicate – a datum, experiment or element of philosophy or logic which is established as true, and provides deductive support for a successive proposition. Almost exclusively predictive in its employment, a predicate may itself have been derived through falsification. A postulate or corollary relate to laws, but are sometimes used synonymous to predicate.
Salience – the nature of predicate, constraint or premise wherein it adds value, clarity or quality to an argument.
Relevance – the nature of a proposition such that it is consistent with an argument or adds to its value, clarity or quality.
Expertise – immediate, significant, research based, relevant and salient experience in the subject field inside which an argument pertains. This includes those stakeholders impacted by a decision or action.
Inexpertise – conditions of general familiarity with, political or agenda motivations toward or solely skepticism and/or experience in the making of arguments in the subject field inside which an argument pertains. Not all a negative, it is the adept recognition of personal, participant or industry lack of expertise in a particular subject or field which is the essence of skepticism.
Quality (Logical Calculus)
Order – the structure and locution of an argument formulated in such a way as to provide a parsimonious deduction or induction critical path, which allows it to be followed or replicated by another party.
Clarity – the structure and locution of an argument formulated in such a way as to provide a relational path, which allows it to be followed or understood more easily by another party.
Completeness – the structure and locution of an argument formulated in such a way as to provide a parsimonious deduction or induction critical path, which precludes alternative deduction or induction critical paths along the same line of predicates and premises.
Consilience – this is the nature or characteristic of an argument wherein its underpinning premises or predicates provide for independent but mutual reinforcement of its conclusion. This is usually regarded as important in an argument which cannot be easily tested for falsification.
Consistency – this is the nature or character