Let’s accept for the moment the idea that there are objective facts about the world, things that are right or wrong, true or false independent of any observer. If so, those cannot be “established” by arguments. All that can be established by arguments is the grounds for believing that certain claims (statements we hold as true) are factual (objectively true).

An argument is always a conditional. In a deductive argument, the only question is whether or not the premises are true. If they are, then the conclusion must also be. But in an inductive argument, there is an additional amount of indeterminacy added by the inability of the premises to absolutely guarantee the condition.

Where a deductive argument can be absolutely and objectively classified as either valid or invalid, the judgment of whether an inductive argument is strong or weak is a matter of opinion, and thus inherently subjective. The facts themselves are not what is being judged –only the sufficiency of our grounds for believing claims about them.