Convergent Validation
Input: $ARGUMENTS
Overview
Any single critic can be criticized. The infinite regress of “but how do you validate the validator?” never terminates. The solution: don’t rely on one criterion. Apply multiple INDEPENDENT validation methods. If they converge on the same answer, confidence is warranted. If they diverge, that’s where the real questions are.
Steps
Step 1: State What’s Being Validated
- What claim, output, or decision needs validation?
- What would “valid” mean concretely?
Step 2: Identify Independent Validation Methods
Generate 3+ methods that rely on different assumptions:
- Empirical: Does evidence support it?
- Logical: Does the reasoning hold?
- Predictive: Does it predict correctly?
- Expert consensus: Do knowledgeable people agree?
- Adversarial: Does it survive attack? (→ /stc, /advr)
- Internal consistency: Does it contradict itself?
- Cross-domain: Does it hold in analogous situations?
Key: methods must be INDEPENDENT (one passing doesn’t make another more likely to pass)
Step 3: Apply Each Method
For each validation method:
- Apply it to the subject
- Result: PASS / FAIL / AMBIGUOUS
- Confidence in this method’s result: high / medium / low
Step 4: Check Convergence
| Pattern | Meaning | Action |
|---|---|---|
| All converge PASS | High confidence valid | Accept |
| All converge FAIL | High confidence invalid | Reject |
| Most PASS, one FAIL | Investigate the failure — is it the method or the subject? | Investigate |
| Mixed | Genuine uncertainty | Refine methods or accept uncertainty |
| All AMBIGUOUS | Methods aren’t powerful enough for this subject | Find better methods |
Step 5: Report
CONVERGENT VALIDATION:
Subject: [what was validated]
| Method | Result | Confidence |
|--------|--------|------------|
| [method] | PASS/FAIL | H/M/L |
Convergence: [all agree / mostly agree / mixed / divergent]
Verdict: [valid / invalid / uncertain]
Key divergence: [if any methods disagree, which and why]When to Use
- High-stakes decisions needing rigorous validation
- When “how do you know?” questions persist
- When single validation methods feel insufficient
Verification
- 3+ independent methods used
- Methods genuinely independent (different assumptions)
- Convergence/divergence pattern analyzed
- Divergences investigated (not ignored)