Reasoning foundations

Claim

A statement presented as true or false.

Definition

Claim

A claim is a statement that can be accepted, rejected, or left undecided under stated rules.

A reasoning system needs a precise claim before it can search for evidence. The claim must identify its objects, conditions, and conclusion.

01

Example

For every integer n, n + 0 = n is a claim. The sentence names its domain and states what must hold in every case.

02

Important distinction

A question, command, or incomplete expression is not yet a claim.

After reading this article, you should be able to

  • Define Claim in the sense used on this site.
  • Separate a checkable claim from a question or an underspecified sentence.