Argument Hygiene
When a rhetorical or sourcing move is clearly present, a small label appears beneath the post. The labels are neutral — they name the move, not the speaker — and the same label appears no matter who posts it.
Structure— the shape of the argument
- CLAIM
- States a position the rest of the thread is responding to.
- COUNTERCLAIM
- Offers an opposing position to the main claim.
- EVIDENCE
- Backs a claim with data, a study, or a concrete example.
- QUESTION
- Asks for information rather than asserting a position.
- CORRECTION
- Fixes a factual error from an earlier post.
- CONTEXT
- Adds background that reframes how to read the claim.
Rhetoric— a move was made
- AD HOMINEM
- Focuses on the person making the argument rather than the argument itself.
- STRAW MAN
- Argues against a weaker, distorted version of the other position.
- FALSE DILEMMA
- Presents two options as the only choices when others exist.
- SLIPPERY SLOPE
- Assumes one step leads to an extreme outcome without showing how.
- MOVING GOALPOSTS
- Changes the standard of proof once the original was met.
- WHATABOUTISM
- Deflects to a different issue instead of addressing the point.
- APPEAL TO AUTHORITY
- Leans on who said it rather than the strength of the reasoning.
- ANECDOTAL
- Generalizes from a single personal story.
- HASTY GENERALIZATION
- Draws a broad conclusion from too few cases.
Source— a sourcing observation
- SOURCE NEEDED
- Makes a factual claim but includes no supporting source.
- UNVERIFIED CLAIM
- States something checkable that no source here confirms yet.
- STATISTICAL CLAIM
- Uses a specific number — worth tracing to where it came from.
- OUTDATED SOURCE
- The cited source has since been superseded by newer data.
- SOURCE CITED
- Renders as the source's name + a tier dot. Hover gives publication, tier, faithfulness note & link.
Dynamics— a whole-conversation observation
- COMMON GROUND
- Marks a point most participants already agree on.
- DEFINITION DISPUTE
- People are using the same term to mean different things.
- TOPIC SHIFT
- Moves the conversation off the original question.
- ESCALATING
- Tone is heating up faster than the substance is advancing.
- GOOD-FAITH QUESTION
- An honest question asked to understand, not to trap.
Source tiers
- SPrimary — papers, statutes, gov data
- AReputable secondary — major news
- BDomain-credible — disclosed method
- COpinion / self-report — labeled
- FUnsupported — flagged unless [opinion]