Seven types of argument

1 Factual

There’s a visual effects-themed YouTube channel called Corridor Crew that occasionally uses VFX expertise to analyse UFO and paranormal footage.

Here’s a snippet where one of the crew introduces a clip for analysis:

Sam: “The date is October 10th, location: Silverton, Colorado. A little train going through the Durango Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. Let's just take a look at something they caught on their sighting.”

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Bigfoot footage corridor crew

It's video footage of a Bigfoot. (It's hard to see in a screen capture, but the Bigfoot is just left of centre.)

The first question is: "Is this footage real?"

Niko: “Oh man, I haven't seen good Bigfoot footage in so long. My instincts tell me that this is not visual effects. This looks like 100% real footage to me.” 

Sam: “Yes, it does.”

Jordan: “Right out the gate, all the little micro-jitters are picked up.”

Sam: “So you guys say it's real?”

Jordan: “This is real footage.” 

Sam: “It’s real footage.”

VFX Artists DEBUNK Flight MH370 Alien Abduction "Footage"

The crew agree the footage is "real" in the sense that it's not VFX; it's a real phone camera recording a real figure in a real landscape.

But that leads to a second "Is it real?" question:

Sam: “Now, do you think this is real *Bigfoot*?"

Jordan: “It could just be a guy in a suit so easily.”

VFX Artists DEBUNK Flight MH370 Alien Abduction "Footage"

The Corridor Crew are having a factual argument.

Factual arguments try to resolve disputes about bedrock, physical reality:

  • Does this thing exist?
  • Did this event actually happen?
  • Does *this thing* have *this property*?

To resolve any type of argument, we gather details called evidence and link them through reasoning.

In factual arguments, we have to collect evidence and match it to our criteria for classifying something as "real" or "true".

In the previous snippet, what detail convinced the Corridor Crew that the footage was “real” and not VFX?

Niko: “My instincts tell me that this is not visual effects. This looks like 100% real footage to me.” 

Sam: “Yes, it does.”

Jordan: “Right out the gate, all the little micro-jitters are picked up.”

VFX Artists DEBUNK Flight MH370 Alien Abduction "Footage"

They highlight the in-camera micro-jitters as something that would be hard to fake.

Is it good evidence? Enough evidence? Those are good questions, but the crew are convinced by the jitters.

How about the second question: is the "Bigfoot" really *Bigfoot*?

Let’s say you want to prove that this is not *really* Bigfoot. What evidence might you go looking for to prove your case?

Here’s what the Corridor Crew guys come up with. First, they notice something in the video itself:

Sam: “It's got human proportions. Basically, one thing in particular, though, is on the leg you can see like a crease of cloth.”

Jordan: “Dude, I was going to say yes on the legs 'cause it's such hard shadowing.“

Sam: “You can see a little bit of draping cloth over something thinner there. So, that's why I wanted to pull up actual costume pictures here, 'cause you can see how a lot of them have like loose-fitting legs here. So, that looks pretty fake, right? It's like, okay, this isn't real.”

VFX Artists DEBUNK Flight MH370 Alien Abduction "Footage"

Bigfoot costume corridor crew

Do you notice that they are using criteria & match reasoning?

  • Criteria for real Bigfoot: Should not be a costume (should be flesh & fur).
  • Features they notice: Crease, hard shadow, draping.
  • Comparing features to costume photos: Looks like cloth.
  • Conclusion: Not real.

One of the crew goes further and does some desktop research to really close the case:

Sam: “But I wanted to go a little bit deeper here. I actually was able to locate this original Facebook post. I think it has all the evidence we need to discern whether this is real or fake. We know where this is filmed: Silverton, Colorado, on the Durango Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad.

“They said they filmed this after leaving Silverton and returning to Durango. We would see that it would have to be on the left side of the train. We got a lot of rocky outcroppings here, plus also there's a lot of road access to this area. This is like still right next to the town! Where there are humans!

“So, I went one stage further. According to the Durango Herald, multiple tricksters have donned Sasquatch suits and run alongside the Narrow Gauge Railroad to entertain tourists. They said that the sheriff, the county sheriff, used to do it before taking his post.”

Niko: “Wow, maybe their sheriff is Bigfoot?”

Jordan: “We don't know, man. I kind of feel like it's a guy in a suit.”

VFX Artists DEBUNK Flight MH370 Alien Abduction "Footage"

What does Sam produce as additional evidence?

Bigfoot map view corridor crew

- Original Facebook post with location

- Google Earth view matched to video image

- Story from a local newspaper

Writelike

That's a lot of concrete evidence suggesting that *this* Bigfoot is really a guy in a suit pranking train passengers.

Bigfoot news item corridor crew

To recap

Factual arguments are about whether something actually does or does not exist, or did or did not happen.

You need to use criteria & match reasoning to determine if features and evidence match the criteria you need to accept something as fact.

What's a factual question you have about the world? Something that you want to know is true or false, real or fake?
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