In this article, you'll learn how to spot this fallacy, its definition and historical background, real-life examples, and how to counter it effectively. What is an Appeal to Ignorance Fallacy? You're taking your first steps to understand what an "appeal to ignorance fallacy" is.
Argument from ignorance (Latin: argumentum ad ignorantiam), or appeal to ignorance, [a] is an informal fallacy where something is claimed to be true or false because of a lack of evidence to the contrary.
What is the appeal to ignorance fallacy? The appeal to ignorance fallacy is the logical fallacy of claiming that a statement must be true because there’s no evidence against it. It can look like this: There are ghosts in our attic; nobody’s been able to prove they aren’t there.
An appeal to ignorance fallacy will state that if something cannot be conclusively proven then the opposite must be true. This fallacy takes advantage of the fact that either collectively or individually we cannot know everything about ourselves and the world.
Appeal to ignorance is also known as argument from ignorance, in which ignorance represents “a lack of contrary evidence” and becomes “a fallacy in informal logic.” It asserts that a proposition is true because it has not yet been proven as false.
In summary, an appeal to ignorance fallacy happens when someone argues that a lack of evidence against a claim is the same as evidence for it, or vice versa. It’s important not to mistake unknowns for truths or falsehoods. Solid evidence is essential for proving that something exists or is true.
Appeal to ignorance often takes place in the context of a debate when one side attempts to place the burden of proof on the other side. Sometimes, as in criminal trials, there is an established burden of proof; but in informal debates it may not be clear on which side the burden falls.