Justificues

Justificues is a neologism used in a subset of philosophical and rhetorical literature to refer to a class of statements or reasons that function to justify a claim, decision, or action. Distinct from simple explanations, justificues aim to establish normative or evidentiary grounds that render the subject acceptable to a given audience. The term has been described as a specialized plural form created to indicate a collection of justificatory moves rather than a single justification.

Etymology and scope: The word is constructed from justify and a pluralizing element, signaling a family of related justificatory types rather than a single justification. In use, justificues may be organized into types such as empirical justificues (based on data and observation), normative justificues (appealing to duties, rights, or rules), and pragmatic justificues (relying on consequences or practicality).

Internal versus external criteria: Some analyses differentiate internal justificues, grounded in the agent’s commitments or knowledge, from external justificues, which appeal to external criteria such as law, policy, or expert consensus. This distinction helps in assessing the strength and relevance of the reasons offered in different domains.

Context and reception: The term appears primarily in limited scholarly discussions and is not widely standardized across disciplines. It is used in analyses of legal argumentation, policy justification, and discussions of AI ethics to categorize the kinds of reasons offered. Examples include labeling a claim as supported by empirical justificues or as warranted by normative justificues grounded in policy.

As of today, justificues remains a niche term and is not universally adopted; its utility lies in helping to classify and compare different kinds of justification offered in argumentation and decision-making.