A level revision

Claims

A claim is something which is claimed to be the case, it can make many forms which are described on this page. We should suspend our belief in a claim until it has been verified or supported with reasons.

Facts and opinions

A fact is information which is held to be true and be verified. You should suspend your belief in the truth of a factual claim in an argument until you have checked the facts and verified them.

Opinions on the other hand cannot be verified, "Scrubs is the best show on TV" cannot be shown to be true or false whereas "Scrubs is the most watched show on TV" is a fact that can be verified by looking at viewing figures.

General principles

General principles are generally a guide on how to act or behave in society or in a certain situation.

Principles do not comment on a specific case, for example "You shouldn't have stolen that cake yesterday" is not a principle but "You should not steal" or "It's wrong to steal" are principles as they apply beyond the specific example.

Typically principles are guidelines on what is morally right or wrong, such as the above example of "It's wrong to steal."

Principles cannot be verified so they are not factual claims.

Hypothetical claims

A hypothetical claim typically follows an 'if...then' structure. Hypothetical claims predict what will happen if something else happens, for example:

If I do not pass my A levels then I will lose my place at University

Hypothetical claims make predictions even if there is no proven link between the events.