Idea 3of 3Builds onNo single source settles itA verdict no bigger than the evidence
True fact, broken inference
The fact checks out. Does the conclusion follow?
Today you'll discover
- two separate checks for every claim
- why a true fact can still mislead
- what to do with an interested source
Think first'The coldest week in years, so warming is a myth'
'Last week was the coldest in years, so warming is a myth.' The temperature reading is real. What is wrong?
Decide first, then press Next. Keep the fact and the conclusion apart.
A ring of eight boxes joined by arrows. After a prediction, the collect-data box is named for checking the fact, then the conclude box for checking the logic, then the analyse box for weighing the source. The last step asks what to do with a cost figure from an interested industry group.
See the whole ideathe big idea and the key word, in one place
The big idea
Check the fact and the logic separately; note the interest.
Easy to get wrongDiscarding every interested source is its own bias. An industry figure can be right. Note the interest and test the claim.
Key word
- bias
- an interest or viewpoint that can tilt what a source notices, reports and concludes; a reason to check it against independent evidence
Ready to use it?
- Separate the factual check from the logical check on a described claim, and name the source's interest.