Editing Philosophical Research:Data model (section)

=== F2 Statements ===

F2 Statements are propositions which cannot in any real way be substantiated. "F" stands for <i>false</i> or <i>fringe-science</i>, or may in a few limited cases suggest <i>fiction</i>. In order to classify a statement as an F2 Statement, there must be some general set of falsifiability parameters, such as the set of all physics statements known to be true in reality, or a set of fictional rules which solidly make it possible to declare a statement about a work of fiction <i>non-continuous</i> with the source material. An F2 Statement should be largely uncontroversial as false, and propositions should not be marked F2 Statements lightly; if there is major controversy about whether a statement can be considered false, it should remain an S2 Statement. With this said, F2 Statements have other possible uses than simply archiving outdated claims that are not true of reality. Some number of F2 Statements may be useful in defining fictional tropes, such as "Minds can communicate at a distance" or "Spaceships can exceed the speed of light". In general, S2 Statements represent the full set of propositions which are possible as counterfactual claims or which are true, and F2 Statements represent the subset of S2 Statements which can only be counterfactual. A good point of reference is the SCP Foundation Wiki — any particular SCP report is chock full of F2 Statements directly based in the rules of reality and yet quite literally describing events which oppose and contradict said rules. Statements describing the behavior of an SCP-classified anomaly as if it were normal, such as "All flesh originates from Yaldabaoth", or "Objects can spontaneously duplicate themselves", are perfect examples of F2 Statements. This further suggests an important purpose of all F2 Statements: each claim should be used to explain under what conditions the counterfactual event is possible. In the case of fiction, the explanations may be elaborate mythological ontologies. In the case of simple real-world misconceptions the explanation may boil down to a simple error or fallacy.