Shba truth ladder

Shiba’s Truth Ladder proposes a structured method for pursuing truth and improving debate by requiring foundational questions to be established before higher-level conclusions are considered. Many disagreements become circular because participants begin from different assumptions, skip unresolved questions, or debate advanced claims without first establishing the background necessary to evaluate them. The Truth Ladder seeks to place competing positions on an even playing field by requiring participants to begin from common ground, proceed one rung at a time, and classify each rung as established, rejected, qualified, or unresolved. Conclusions established on lower rungs must remain part of the foundation for subsequent reasoning; if a higher conclusion genuinely contradicts an established lower rung, the inquiry must return to the earliest affected rung, resolve the contradiction, and rebuild from there. This first working edition applies the method primarily to questions concerning ultimate reality, God, competing worldviews, religion, and Christianity, while presenting the Truth Ladder as a broader framework that may be applied to other areas of inquiry and debate.