Check

Is this claim closed?

Four questions, about a minute. The test does not tell you whether a claim is true. It tells you whether anything could still correct it — and where the cut was made. It works the same on your own side’s claims; that is the point of it.

The claim

Paste it, or try one of the examples. Optional: the questions work on a claim you only have in your head. Up to 280 characters; the claim is included in the result link if you share it.

Question 1 of 4 What is actually being claimed? State it in a form that evidence could confirm or disconfirm. OpenI can restate it as something specific that an observation could count against. ClosedIt cannot be pinned down: the wording shifts, or no observation could count against it. Can’t tellThe claim does not say, and the speaker has not been asked.

Question 2 of 4 What is treated as already settled? Look for the premise smuggled in as background rather than argued for. OpenThe contested parts are argued for, or at least flagged as contested. ClosedA contested premise is presented as background that only a fool or an enemy would question. Can’t tellThe claim does not say, and the speaker has not been asked.

Question 3 of 4 Who is allowed to check it? A claim with no acceptable referee has no working error-correction path. OpenThe speaker names a referee they would accept, even one they do not control. ClosedEvery referee who could return an adverse finding is disqualified in advance or on arrival. Can’t tellThe claim does not say, and the speaker has not been asked.

Question 4 of 4 What result would change the speaker’s mind? If the answer is “none,” the dispute has been closed, not won. OpenThe speaker can name a result that would count against the claim. ClosedNo outcome is named that would count against the claim; wins and losses both confirm it. Can’t tellThe claim does not say, and the speaker has not been asked.

With JavaScript off, this page still works: answer the four questions on paper. Two or more “closed” answers means the claim is protected rather than proved.

What a “closed” result does and does not mean. A claim can be true and still be held in a closed way; a false claim can be held open, ready to be corrected. A closed result is not a verdict on the claim; it is a reason to reopen the question before arguing about the answer. Why this test and not another: how it works.

What to say next → Or browse the eight devices and four multipliers