Description

A claim, the end result of thinking, is a statement that is either true or false.

Types of Claims

Claims can be classified into two categories.

1. Truth: This type of claims states that something is true or false.

2. Course of Action: This type of claim describes an action to be taken.

A course-of-action claim is equivalent to a truth claim because a course-of-action claim can be written as a truth claim.

• Course of Action Claim: The action we should take is to save $100 every month.
• Truth Claim: The best action for us is to save $100 every month.

However, a truth claim cannot always be converted to an equivalent course-of-action claim.

Objective and Subjective Claims

Objective Claim: The truth or falsity of this type of claim is determined by direct means such as observation, experiment, calculation, measurement, detective work, modeling, investigative journalism, statistical analysis, and so on. Because truth is established by direct means, the truth value of an objective claim is independent of anyone’s opinion; that is, it is either true or false based on the appropriate way to.

Subjective Claim: The truth or falsity of this type of claim depends on an actor’s values or priorities. What a subjective claim is true, it is true for at least one person but not for all people.

Here are some questions to establish whether a claim is objective or subjective:

1. Is the truth value of this claim determined by direct means?
2. Is this claim a matter of an actor’s values, tastes, or priorities?

Synonyms for Claim

Many different terms are use to refer to claims. Here are some of them: conclusion, opinion, belief, answer, and point-of-view, recommendation, and so forth.

In the CT textbooks, it seems that conclusion is the most common term. I use both claim and conclusion most often. But there are contexts where other terms work better.

Examples of Claims

Truth Claims

A truth claim states that something is true.

When a truth claim is objective, the justification for the claim is based of evidence. Here are some examples of objective truth claims.

1. The Earth orbits the Sun.
2. Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius at sea level.
3. The capital of France is Paris.
4. Oxygen is necessary for human respiration.
5. Two plus two equals four.
6. The Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776.
7. The speed of light in a vacuum is approximately 299,792,458 meters per second.
8. The law of gravity governs the attraction between masses.
9. The boiling point of water decreases with increasing altitude.
10. Plants convert carbon dioxide and sunlight into energy through photosynthesis.

These statements are considered truth claims based on scientific facts, historical records, commonly accepted knowledge, and so on.

Truth claims can also be subjective claims. A subjective truth claim is true for one or more people but not for all people. Here are some examples of subjective truth claims.

1. Vanilla ice cream is the best flavor.
2. Picasso’s “Guernica” is a masterpiece of modern art.
3. The Beatles are the greatest band of all time.
4. Chocolate is more delicious than strawberry.
5. Sunsets are the most beautiful moments in nature.
6. Horror movies are scarier than romantic comedies.
7. Roller coasters are more fun than gentle rides.
8. Summer is the most enjoyable season.
9. Spicy food is tastier than bland food.
10. Reading a book is a more immersive experience than watching a movie.

These statements express personal opinions and preferences, which can vary from person to person. They are examples of truth claims that pertain to individual feelings, tastes, and perspectives.

Notice that a truth claim can be written as a true/false question. Here are some examples:

1. (T/F) Water at room conditions weighs about 10 newtons for each liter.

2. (T/F) The square root of 49 is greater than the cube root of 1000.

However, we don’t write T/F questions for subjective truth claims.

Course of Action Claims

A course of action claims describes an action to be taken that the arguer thinks is best.

Here are some examples.

1. We should fill up the car with gas before leaving for Boise.

2. Engineers should carry and cancel units.

3. To improve your health, you should exercise for at least 30 minutes every day.

4. To succeed in business, one should prioritize building strong relationships.

5. Before we make this omelette, we should whisk the eggs.

6. Clip into the blue rope. Not the red one.

7. We should invest money into retirement on a regular basis.

8. You should install a 200 W solar collector.

9. We should rent a post hole digger instead of doing this by hand.

10. You should drink lots of water.

Synonyms

We use many different words for claim: conclusion, belief, opinion, point of view, answer, recommendation, decision, assertion, IMHO, and so forth.

In critical thinking textbooks, the most common word is conclusion

The Claim Test

The claim test comes from Professor (need to cite)

To test if a statement is a claim, take the following actions.

1. Let X represent the statement.

2. Substitute X into this sentence:

   Is it true that X?

   If the sentence is grammatically correct, then X is a claim. Otherwise, X is not a claim.

Also, a claim can be written as a true or false question.

Example 1 of the Claim Test

Statement: Global warming is a hoax.

1. Let X represent the sentence “Global warming is a hoax.”

2. Substitute X into Is it true that X? as follows: Is it true that (global warming is a hoax)?

   Since this sentence make grammatical sense, the original statement is a claim.

Note: The given statement can also be written as a true false question as follows.

(T/F) Global warming is a hoax.

Example 2 of the Claim Test

Statement: Exercise every day.

The following sentence

Is it true that exercise every day?

Does not make grammatical sense. Thus, the given statement is not a claim

Examples of Claims

Each of the sentences in the list that follows is a claim because it passes the claim test.

1. Bill Russell was the best basket ball player ever.
2. Global warming is real and it is caused by human activity.
3. God exists. God does not exist.
4. Exercise is good for you.
5. Exercise is a waste of time.
6. You should learn several language.
7. Learning another language is a waste of time.
8. I believe that people should tell the truth. It is OK to lie if the end result is ethical. People should tell the truth.
9. The square root of 5 is 2. The square root of 5 is not 2.
10. The square root of 4 is 2.
11. I cannot lose weight because I have a slow metabolism.
12. My recommendation is that you have hip surgery.
13. My point of view is that 2020 presidential election (was or was not) stolen.
14. I feel that everyone should learn to write computer programs.
15. The answer to first test problem is 7.4 meters.
16. The evidence suggests that wearing a mask reduces one’s change of catching Covid-19.
17. We should get our taxes done today.
18. I recommend taking an asprin.

Facts

1. An Making Arguments is defined as a claim plus facts that justify why the claim is true.
2. A Disagreements
3. Subj

Subjective and Objective Claims

Claims can be classified into two buckets: Subjective and Objective.

The truth or falsity of an objective claim is established by direct means: observation, experiment, measurement, calculation, evidence, survey, investigative journalism,, modeling, and so forth.

A subjective claim describes what one person or a group prefers. The truth of a subjective claim refers to the reasons why a person who holds this claim justifies this claim.

Examples of claim classification.

1. Water is made up of oxygen and hydrogen (O).
2. There is life on mars (O).
3. President Trump was a great president (S). President Trump was not a great president (S).
4. President Obama was born in Hawaii (O).
5. The best cars are Toyotas (S). The best cars are Fords (S). The best cars are Teslas (S)

Non Examples

Not every statement is a claim. Here are some examples:

1. What do you want to do about dinner? How many people were at the party.

   Most interrogative sentences are not claims. This type of sentence asks a questions. Sometimes a person uses a question to make a claim.

2. Please come to dinner. Will you take the trash out? Pass the butter.

   Imperative sentences are not claims. An imperative sentence is one that states a command, an order, or a request.

3. Wow!

   Some exclamatory sentences are not claims. An explanatory sentence is one that expresses deep emotions or feelings. If a person states that a movie was awesome, they might mean that they feel great because they say it, or they might be making a claim that the movie was really good.

There are four types of sentences. Exclamatory, imperative, interrogative, and declarative. Declarative sentences are claims and sometimes one of the other types are claims.

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Resources: 4 Types of Sentences

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