MIXORA CONCEPT
Counterexample
A case that satisfies a claim’s conditions but not its stated conclusion.
One genuine counterexample is enough to disprove a universal claim. It may not defeat a narrower probabilistic claim.
What “Strong evidence” means
The core definition or effect is well established across authoritative standards, foundational research or a broad research literature. The label does not make every practical prediction certain.
VISUAL EXPLANATION · MARKER BOARDFinding one bird that cannot fly defeats ‘all birds fly’ but not ‘most birds fly.’
An unusual case is relevant only if it actually meets the claim’s stated conditions.
What single case should exist if this universal claim is false?
For a deductive argument, the property that true premises could not occur together with a false conclusion.
→thoughtThought experimentA deliberately imagined scenario used to clarify a concept, test a principle or explore consequences.
→thoughtArgumentA set of claims in which one or more premises are offered in support of a conclusion.
→SOURCES & TRUST
References
Last reviewed
- 01Informal LogicReference source
Leo Groarke · Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Evaluation of real-world arguments, premise acceptability and inference quality.
What the source labels mean
- Primary source
- Original work, experiment, standard or historical text.
- Academic source
- Scholarly research or review published for an academic audience.
- Reference source
- An expert standard, encyclopedia or institutional explanation that summarizes a field.
- General reference
- A practical specialist resource useful for application, but not treated as decisive research by itself.