Warrant Tester
by @quochungto
Test the warrants in a research argument — the general principles that connect reasons to claims. Use this skill when a reader might accept a reason as true...
Example 1 — Historical argument
Argument:
Step 1 — Surfaced warrant: "When valuable household objects were not listed in a will, the household did not own them."
Five-test battery: 1. Reasonable? Plausible — wills were legal inventories of valuables. But readers who believe widespread gun ownership was common will resist. Needs supporting argument: Watson (1989) confirmed this practice in Cumberland County wills. [sub-argument needed] 2. Sufficiently limited? The original version allows no exceptions. Qualified: "Most household objects *considered valuable by their owners* were *usually* listed in wills." Now must address: Were guns always considered valuable? What is "usually"? 3. Superior to competing warrants? A competing warrant: "When war was common, most households owned weapons as a matter of survival." This competes. Must argue why the will-listing warrant prevails for this time and place. 4. Field-appropriate? For historical demography — yes. Document-based inference from legal records is standard in this field. 5. Covers this reason and claim? Check: "Guns rarely mentioned in wills" is an instance of "valuable object not listed" only if guns were valuable. Check: "Gun ownership not widespread" is an instance of "household did not own them" at the aggregate level. Both fits hold, but the "valuable" condition is the vulnerability.
Decision on stating the warrant: State explicitly — the argument's expected readers (general readers who believe widespread gun ownership was historically common) will not share this principle and will challenge relevance.
Example 2 — Interdisciplinary argument with competing warrants
Argument:
Step 1 — Surfaced warrant: "When medical decisions concern matters of public health, the state has a right to regulate them."
Competing warrant: "When parents believe a medical procedure may harm their children, they have a right to refuse it."
Test 3 — Competing warrant analysis: Both are reasonable and backed by defensible principles. Neither can simply be dismissed. Reconciliation: limit both.
Decision on stating: State the warrant and explicitly acknowledge the competing one — this argument is inherently about competing principles. Stating the reconciliation shows intellectual honesty and invites rational engagement.
Example 3 — Self-diagnosis of a broken argument
Input from user: "My argument feels wrong but I cannot find the problem. I'm arguing that social media should be regulated, because teenagers are anxious today."
Step 1 — Surfaced warrant: "When teenagers are anxious, social media is harming them."
Test 5 — Coverage check:
Repair: Revise the reason to: "Teenagers who spend more than three hours daily on social media report significantly higher anxiety rates than those who spend less than one hour." This reason is now an instance of the warrant's circumstance (harm from social media use). Gather evidence: longitudinal survey data showing the correlation with exposure to social media specifically, not screens in general.
clawhub install bookforge-warrant-tester