Editing Argumentum ad ignorantiam

{{wikipedia|Argument from ignorance}}
The '''argumentum ad ignorantiam''' (also known as the '''argument from ignorance''') is a [[logical fallacy]] wherein the speaker claims that a proposition is true because it has not been shown to be false, or vice versa. The argument is a form of ''[[non sequitur]]'' and a [[false dichotomy]].

==Fallacy==

Someone using the argument from ignorance will generally claim that either:
# They don't know how an argument could be false, therefore it must be true.
# They don't know how an argument could be true, therefore it must be false.

They are arguing for a particular default position that they prefer. If there is [[scientific]] [[evidence]] against their default position, it will frequently be dismissed or ignored.

==Examples==

* Since scientists cannot prove that global warming will occur, it probably won't. <ref>[http://onegoodmove.org/fallacy/ig.htm]</ref>
* Failure to foresee that diversity in life would eventually be explained by [[Charles Darwin]]:
{{quote-source|There will never be an Isaac Newton for a blade of grass.|[[Immanuel Kant]]}}
{{quote|This a homage is rendered to the sacred seal [of obscurity], which the Almighty has set upon each of his works. <ref>George Redford, ''Holy Scripture Verified'' 1837</ref>}}
* "What powered inflation of the universe? Why are humans spiritual? [[Argument from consciousness|Where did consciousness come from]]? How do you explain what some have called our 6th sense? How did the Earth overcome what MIT and Stanford physicists call statistically miraculous odds [[Anthropic principle|to have habitable conditions]]? Why does humanity [[Moral argument|cherish humility and honesty over pride and deceit]]? Why do almost all feel compelled to do what is right by helping neighbors? Why is there a norm of reciprocity? [[Argument from the meaning of life|What is our greater purpose?]] [[Problem of evil|Why is there evil in the world?]]" <ref>SJ Thomason [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKkt0yOmaDw 11 Questions that Atheists Cannot Answer], 24 May 2018</ref>

==Use in apologetics==

The ''argumentum ad ignorantiam'' is commonly used as a proof of the existence of [[God]]. It is the fallacy that is perhaps the most common in religious apologetics.

===God of the gaps===
{{main article|God of the gaps}}
The most common form in apologetics is the "God of the gaps" argument which argues that since some phenomenon is unexplained, it must be due to [[God]]. It is also a form of [[non sequitur]], since the hand of God is posited without proof and often with [[false dichotomy|complete disregard to other possible]] [[explanation]]s. Apologetic arguments that commit this fallacy include:

===Argument from personal incredulity===

Argument from personal incredulity is a statement like "I can't see how that is possible, therefore it is impossible". It is a form of argument from ignorance.

It contains an unstated premise: "if something cannot be understood to be possible, it is impossible". This overlooks the possibility that the speaker lacks knowledge or has a failure of imagination.

===Occurrence===

* [[Argument from design]]
* [[Irreducible complexity]]
* [[Intelligent design]]
* Various theodicies for the [[problem of evil]]
* [[Argument from abiogenesis]]
* [[Natural-law argument]]
* [[Fine-tuning argument]]
* [[Argument from desire]]
* [[Transcendental argument]]
* [[Information theory argument]]
* [[Argument from the meaning of life]]
* [[Presuppositional apologetics]]
* [[Scientific foreknowledge in sacred texts]]
* [[Argument from suffering]]
** [[Argument from natural disasters]]
* [[Argument from miracle testimony]]
* [[Argument from prophecy]]
* [[Argument from the origin of the idea of God]]
* [[Argument from conscience]]
* [[Argument from providence]]
* [[Religion explains the human condition]]
* [[Argument from comprehensibility]]
* [[The first cause implies God exists]]
* [[Argument from personal coincidences]]
* [[Argument from altruism]]
* [[Argument from free will]]
* [[Argument from mathematical realism]]
* [[Argument from religious teachings]]
* [[If God didn't create everything, who did?]]

==External links==
* [http://skepdic.com/ignorance.html Argument to ignorance] at [[The Skeptic's Dictionary]]
* [https://youtu.be/3xHqaQrCKXY?t=8m30s Example of argument from incredulity], Atheist Experience, 2016-7-3
==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Logical fallacies]]