Philosophical Fallacies: Appeal to Ignorance and Begging the Question

Appeal to ignorance also called the burden of proof

  • You haven’t proven/don’t know X to be the case. The burden of proof is on you. Therefore X isn’t the case

Examples of appeal to ignorance

  • If you can’t prove it then you’re wrong
  • Science hasn’t proven God exists, therefore, God doesn’t exist
  • You can’t prove that you’re not cheating on me. You won’t let me go through your phone. Therefore you must be hiding something.

Begging the question/circular argument

  • The basic structure is, premise⟶premise
  • There is no conclusion
  • Repeating a premise
  • Lots of verbiages
  •  Circular argument

Examples of circular arguments

  • I should wear makeup often because cosmetics and beauty products make me look pretty
  • What came first, the chicken or the egg?

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