Assumption

An assumption is an implicit premise that a claim depends on but does not state explicitly. Assumptions are often invisible until challenged: they form the background conditions that make a claim meaningful.

Hidden assumptions are a common source of false disagreement. Two parties may reach different conclusions not because their evidence differs but because they hold different unstated premises about definitions, baselines, or context. Making assumptions explicit is a key step in knowledge synthesis.

In a Dialectical Graph, assumptions are node types, connected to claims by depends_on edges. An undercut attacks an assumption rather than the claim directly; if the assumption falls, the claim loses its grounding.