Sunday, March 11, 2018
Rut’s Rules for Responsibly Reasoning Rational Rhetoric: W5x5+WHICH
Rut’s Rules for Responsibly Reasoning Rational
Rhetoric
In ufology, as in other fields of study, claims are often
made that some individuals embrace immediately without question, and some
reject out of hand. This can come down to a critical assessment by an outside
and disinterested party, or an accumulation of evidence that either
overwhelmingly supports or refutes the claims.
In order to disarm skeptics or debunkers, it’s important
to critically examine a claim to test its soundness. Is a claim really as good
as advertised? Whether the claim is that the Earth is flat or that “we never
went to the Moon,” we need a general guide when considering something that has
been presented as fact. It’s a way to look at “fake news.”
My version is called W5x5WHICH, and it’s based on the
basic rule of thumb for reporters and journalists, who when confronted by a
story lead, ask W5: Who? What? When? Where? And Why? Even at this level, if any
one of the questions cannot be answered with some rigour, the story lead is
undermined. For example, if the response to: “When did this happen?” is: “Sometime
in 2015,” then there might be some concern about an indeterminate date. Similarly,
if the question: “Where did this happen?” is answered with: “Somewhere along
the east coast,” the imprecise location may betray some kind of obfuscation.
W5 is a good basis, but I have expanded it to include
subsets within each one, then added additional questions that can lead to a
better understanding of the issue.
This is adapted from lessons learned through
deconstruction and poststructural discourse in the manner of Derrida and
Foucault, so that asking “Who is speaking?” allows us to gain insight into the
nature of a given statement.
Finally, it should be noted that simply asking questions
about a claim is not what is known as debunking. In ufology, the latter is when
a claim is considered “bunk” without a detailed examination of evidence for the
claim or allowing due process of examination through investigation. Asking questions
is how we begin to understand.
W5x5+WHICH
Who
What
When
Where
Why
Which
How
Is
Could
Have
Who…
…is making a claim? (i.e. Who is speaking?)
…is/are the witness(es)?
…has the information?
…has looked at this evidence already?
…has promoted this claim?
What…
…is the claim?
…are the facts?
…is objective in this instance?
…is subjective about this claim?
…exactly do we know for sure?
When…
…did this occur? (date)
…did this occur? (time)
…was this first presented to the public?
…will more details be made available?
…will this be published in a peer-reviewed journal?
Where…
…did this take place?
…was the witness at the time?
…are supporting witnesses?
…can this evidence be examined by an outside reviewer?
…is this information stored?
Why…
…is this claimed to be an anomaly?
…is this not a mundane object?
…should this claim be believed?
…should this claim be rejected?
…is this being presented now?
Which…
…is the best explanation for the anomaly?
…is a poor explanation for the anomaly?
How…
…do we know the evidence is good?
…do we know the witness is reliable?
Is…
…there competing or alternate explanations for the
anomaly?
…there complete provenance for any evidence presented?
Could…
…the witness(es) be mistaken?
…the witness(es) be fabricating the story?
How much…
…is being demanded for accessing the evidence?
…is required to independently assess the claim?
Labels: critical thinking ufology questions journalism reporters media fake news debunking belief
# posted by rutkows @ 2:37 PM 
