Rejecting Arbitrary Claims

Arbitrary claims cannot have epistemic status.

An arbitrary claim is a claim for which no method of criticism exists. It cannot, in principle, be tested, refuted, or shown to be in error.

This is distinct from claims that are difficult to test or currently untested. A claim is arbitrary only if no process could expose an error in it, not merely that no one has tried.

Theorem

Premises:

1. We can be wrong (fallibility).
2. A claim has epistemic status only if it is open to criticism: a process that could, in principle, expose an error in it.
3. An arbitrary claim is one for which no method of criticism exists.

If an arbitrary claim is wrong, no process could reveal it.

Therefore, arbitrary claims cannot have epistemic status.

Corollary

To appeal to uncriticizable authority, revelation, or mystery is to place a claim beyond criticism. No process could expose an error in it. Truth and falsehood become indistinguishable.

Such claims are equivalent to "a wizard did it."

Example

Arbitrary: "Everything happens for a reason."

This claim cannot be tested. Any outcome is compatible with it. No observation could contradict it.

Non-arbitrary: "The car won't start because the battery is dead."

This claim can be tested. Replace the battery. If the car starts, the explanation is supported. If not, the explanation is refuted.

The difference is not certainty. The battery diagnosis may be wrong. But it is open to criticism, which means it can be corrected. The arbitrary claim cannot.

2025-10-10 Aaron Brinton
2026-01-29 aligned with published articles
2026-02-10 tightened definition, theorem, and corollary
2026-02-11 added link to Criticism