Definition
The Argument from Ignorance (ad ignorantiam) posits that a belief is true simply because it has not been proven false, or false because it has not been proven true. It mistakes a lack of knowledge for a specific piece of knowledge.
Why It Matters
It allows false beliefs to persist simply because they haven’t been disproven yet, which is the antithesis of the scientific method. This fallacy is often used to justify unverified theories with a lack of contrary evidence.
Core Concepts
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Unidentified Alien: The classic UFO fallacy. An object in the sky is “unidentified” (ignorance), and this unidentified status is offered as proof that it is an alien spacecraft (positive claim).
- How to read: “The term unidentified does not mean alien.”
- Meaning: Not knowing what something is does not license any particular positive identification.
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God of the Gaps: Offering a supernatural designer as the explanation for any current gap in scientific knowledge (e.g., “We don’t know how the first cell formed, therefore an Intelligent Designer did it”).
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Absence of Evidence: While “absence of evidence is not evidence of absence” is a popular adage, scientifically, the predictive absence of evidence (searching for something and not finding it) is evidence of absence, though not absolute proof.
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Burden of Proof: The fallacy attempts to shift the burden of proof to the skeptic to “disprove” a claim, rather than the claimant providing positive evidence.