Argument from incredulity

Cogito ergo sum
Logic and rhetoric

Key articles

* Logical fallacy
* Syllogism
* Argument

General logic

* Necessary and sufficient conditions
* Correlation does not imply causation
* Boolean algebra
* Anecdotal evidence
* Regression fallacy
* Regression to the mean

Bad logic

* Uncertainty tactic
* Loaded language
* Weasel word
* Illicit process
* Negative evidence
* Viés de seleção

v \- t \- e

“”At what point did you reject the hypothesis that you're too dumb to understand how good the idea is?

—Dilbert[1] (some years after announcing that (his conception of) evolution set off his "bullshit detector")

The argument from incredulity is a logical fallacy that occurs when someone decides that something did not happen or does not exist because they cannot personally understand the workings.

The fallacy is an argument from ignorance and an informal fallacy.

## Contents

* 1 Alternate names
* 2 Form
* 3 Explanation
* 4 Examples
* 4.1 Creationism
* 4.2 Science
* 4.3 Personal incredulity
* 4.4 General incredulity
* 5 The opposite problem
* 6 See also
* 6.1 Want to read this in another language?
* 7 External links
* 8 Further reading
* 9 References

## Alternate names[edit]

* argument by lack of imagination
* argument from personal incredulity

## Form[edit]

P1: One can't imagine how X could be true.

P2: (unstated) If X is true, then one could imagine how X could be true.

C: X is false.

## Explanation[edit]

The fallacy lies in the unstated premise. If a state of affairs is impossible to imagine, it doesn't follow that it is false; it may only mean that imagination is limited. Moreover, if no one has yet managed to imagine how a state of affairs is possible, it doesn't follow that no one will ever be able to.

If there is positive evidence for the conclusion, then, of course, we have other reasons for accepting it, but a lack of proof it is true is not proof it is false. (Where 'proof' means the cogency of evidence that compels acceptance of a truth, or the process of establishing the validity of a statement by derivation from other statements in accordance with principles of reasoning.)

Forbidding this type of reasoning is not the same as a reasonable "presumption" (such as the presumption of 'No guilt' in court) like this:

Any proposition like "There is X" is reasonably presumed false (not argued false, just presumed false, taken for granted) unless proven true.

This is a basic principle of logic since the burden of proof can never be shifted to the negation in any case.

## Examples[edit]

The Big Bang Theory doesn't make any sense to me, therefore it could not have happened.

### Creationism[edit]

*     "Scientists are at a loss to explain the evolution of the platypus by Darwinian evolution. [Unwritten assumption: If it was of a Darwinian origin, scientists should know how it happened.] Therefore, it didn't evolve."

As an example, creationists incessantly use some difficult-to-explain facet of biology as "proof" of a creator. The problem is that, though there is no non-design explanation for how precisely a certain organ could have evolved at the moment, one may be discovered in the future. Contrary to the instincts of many creationists, lack of an explanation does not justify confecting whatever explanation one would prefer. The inexplicable is just that, and does not justify speculation as proof.

Sometimes creationists compute the astronomical odds against a molecule having a certain structure from the simple probability of n atoms arranging themselves so. They gloss over the fact that chemical laws trim most of the extraneous possibilities away. For instance, there are many ways to theoretically arrange hydrogen atoms and oxygen atoms in a molecule, but in reality, most of what forms is H2O. Note that the creationist's fundamental error is not his ignorance of this fact, but the assumption that there is nothing more to know.

Michael Behe argued that assuming, through methodological naturalism, that no god played with evolution, is an argument from incredulity.[2]

A "Christian Cynic" writes:[3]

>     P1: I cannot imagine how human beings, as complex as they are, evolved from a unicellular organism.

>     C: Therefore, common descent is false.

> Of course, the missing premise is:

>     P2: If common descent was true, I would be able to imagine how human beings evolved from a unicellular organism.

> and with its inclusion, the argument is formally valid. Its soundness, therefore, depends on the veracity of the missing premise, and most people (myself included) would dispute it based on the fact that current evidence should make it much easier to imagine the evolution from unicellular organism to complex multicellular organism by the examination of transitional forms.

Strangely, the cynic never attempts to imagine how complex it would be for God to tinker with the genes of innumerable animals and achieve the desired result.

*     Peter Atkins during his debate against John Lennox demonstrates the fallacy in the inverse. When speaking of the Resurrection of Jesus "...of course it didn't happen, how could it have happened...everyone knows here that's nonsense"

### Science[edit]

"Scientists cannot explain this" (meaning, of course, "as far as I know, science can't explain this"). This variation contains the unwritten assumption that scientists are superhuman geniuses and should be able to understand everything unless they are missing an assumption. This undue veneration of scientists is a form of scientism, or using science as an ersatz religion. On top of that, it is simply not true in many cases — scientists do have an explanation, and the speaker just doesn't know it (or sometimes even only pretends).

### Personal incredulity[edit]

See the main article on this topic: Science doesn't know everything

Another form, the argument from personal incredulity, takes the form "I can't believe P, therefore not-P." Merely because one doesn't believe that, for example, homeopathy is just a placebo does not magically make such treatment effective. Clinical trials are deliberately designed in such a way that an individual personal experience is not important compared to data in aggregate. Human beings have extremely advanced pattern recognition skills, to the extent that they are objectively poor judges of probability.

* "This is unexplainable" (meaning, of course, "I can't explain this"). This is the argument from personal incredulity, and it contains the (usually unwritten) assumption that the speaker is a superhuman genius who should be able to understand everything — unless they are missing an assumption. So the superhuman genius concludes that some assumption ('God did it', 'aliens did it', 'psi was involved' or whichever) is true, because it makes things easier to understand. For example:

"There is no way I can explain how the human mind really works using conventional physics. (Unwritten assumption: If the brain really was governed by simple physics, I should be able to understand it.) Therefore, it must be tapping into the computational power of the quantum universe."
Needless to say, someone making this argument is extremely unlikely to be a superhuman genius and extremely likely to be an imbecile.

### General incredulity[edit]

Sometimes argument from incredulity is applied to epistemological statements, taking the form "One can't imagine how one could know whether P or not-P, therefore it is unknowable whether P or not-P." This is employed by some (though not all) strong agnostics who say it is unknowable whether gods exist. The argument in this case is, "No one has thought of a way to determine whether there are gods, so there is no way." The implied major premise, "If there were such a way, someone would have thought of it," is disputable.

## The opposite problem[edit]

See the main article on this topic: Certum est quia impossibile est

Tertullian wrote around 205 CE "prorsus credibile est, quia ineptum est" ("it is by all means to be believed, because it is absurd"); this is often paraphrased in various ways such as "I believe because it is absurd" or "It is certain because it is impossible". Such arguments are viewed by some as a good argument for religious faith. But even the Vatican doesn't accept this, preferring to claim (against all the evidence) that there is nothing silly about Roman Catholicism.[4] As with the argument from incredulity, certum est quia impossibile est is not normally a good logical principle to follow.

## See also[edit]

* Argument from ignorance
* Argument from silence
* Sherlock Holmes fallacy
* God of the gaps
* Argument from design
* Argument from beauty

###

Want to read this in another language?

Русскоязычным вариантом данной статьи является статья Аргумент к недоверию

## External links[edit]

* See the Wikipedia article on Argument from ignorance.
* Argument from Ignorance and divine fallacy (argument from incredulity), Skeptic's Dictionary
* Your logical fallacy is personal incredulity, YLFI
* Ignorantiam, Fallacy Files
* Appeal to Ignorance, Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
* Julian Baggini. "Bad Moves: Arguments from incredulity".
* "SkeptiFilm Presents- Logical Fallacies- Argument from Ignorance" uploaded by SkeptiFilm on July 18, 2012 (we apologize for the bad acting)
* “What’s heavier, a kilogram of steel or a kilogram of feathers?” \- Scottish comedian Limmy neatly captures the fallacy in a series of sketches

## Further reading[edit]

* Drummond, Henry, 1904. The Lowell Lectures on the Ascent of Man , Glasgow: Robert Maclehose and Co. Ltd., (Chpt. X has perhaps the first reference to God of the Gaps.)

## References[edit]

1. ↑ Dilbert Comic Strip on Jun. 14, 2011, Archived
2. ↑ Michael Behe 2003. A Functional Pseudogene?: An Open Letter to Nature
3. ↑ https://thechristiancynic.wordpress.com/2007/06/11/arguments-from-personal-incredulity/
4. ↑ See the Wikipedia article on Credo quia absurdum.

v \- t \- e

Articles about logical fallacies

Informal fallacies: |  Appeal to tradition • Appeal to novelty • Appeal to nature • Argument from morality • Argumentum ad martyrdom • Big words • Certum est quia impossibile est • Morton's fork • Friend argument • Exception that proves the rule • Extended analogy • Hindsight bias • Race card • Moralistic fallacy • Release the data • Gish Gallop • Terrorism-baiting • Uncertainty tactic • Greece-baiting • Ham Hightail • Red-baiting • Gore's Law • Nazi analogies • Mistaking the map for the territory • Red herring • Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum videtur • Presentism • Sunk cost • Two wrongs make a right • Flying carpet fallacy • My enemy's enemy • Appeal to ancient wisdom • Danth's Law • Argumentum ad lunam • Balance fallacy • Golden hammer • Loaded question • Escape to the future • Word magic • Spider-Man fallacy • Sanctioning the devil • Appeal to mystery • Informal fallacy • Common sense • Post-designation • Hyperbole • Relativist fallacy • Due diligence • Straw man • Good old days • Appeal to probability • Infinite regress • Circular reasoning • Media was wrong before • Is–ought problem • Ad iram • Just asking questions • Pink-baiting • Appeal to faith • Appeal to fear • Appeal to bias • Appeal to confidence • Appeal to consequences • Appeal to emotion • Appeal to flattery • Appeal to gravity • Appeal to hate • Argument from omniscience • Argument from silence • Argumentum ad baculum • Argumentum ad fastidium • Association fallacy • Broken window fallacy • Category mistake • Confounding factor • Counterfactual fallacy • Courtier's Reply • Damning with faint praise • Definitional fallacies • Equivocation • Fallacy of accent • Fallacy of accident • Fallacy of amphiboly • Gambler's fallacy • Imprecision fallacy • Moving the goalposts • Nirvana fallacy • Overprecision • Pathos gambit • Pragmatic fallacy • Quote mining • Argumentum ad sarcina inserta • Science doesn't know everything • Slothful induction • Spotlight fallacy • Style over substance • Toupee fallacy • Genuine but insignificant cause • Appeal to age • Argumentum ad nauseam • Phantom distinction • Appeal to common sense • Argumentum ad hysteria • Omnipotence paradox • Argument from etymology • Appeal to trauma • Countless counterfeits fallacy •
| Ad hoc: |  No True Scotsman • Moving the goalposts • Escape hatch • Handwave • Special pleading • Slothful induction • Nirvana fallacy • God of the gaps • PIDOOMA • Ad hoc • Tone argument •
| Arguments from ignorance: |  Science doesn't know everything • Argument from silence • Toupee fallacy • Appeal to censorship • Science was wrong before • Holmesian fallacy • Argument from omniscience • Willful ignorance • Argument from ignorance •
| Causation fallacies: |  Post hoc, ergo propter hoc • Correlation does not imply causation • Wrong direction • Counterfactual fallacy • Regression fallacy • Gambler's fallacy • Denying the antecedent • Genuine but insignificant cause •
| Circular reasoning: |  Infinite regress • Argument by assertion • Argumentum ad dictionarium • Appeal to faith • Circular reasoning • Self-refuting idea •
| Emotional appeals: |  Appeal to fear • Appeal to emotion • Appeal to confidence • Deepity • Argumentum ad baculum • Appeal to shame • Appeal to flattery • Tone argument • Appeal to money • Argumentum ad fastidium • Appeal to gravity • Appeal to consequences • Loaded language • Style over substance • Appeal to pity • Appeal to hate • Pathos gambit • Shaming • Degenerate • Abomination •
| Fallacies of ambiguity: |  Fallacy of accent • Equivocation • Fallacy of amphiboly • Quote mining • Fallacy of ambiguity • Moral equivalence • Scope fallacy • Suppressed correlative • Not as bad as • Etymology • Continuum fallacy • Wronger than wrong • Definitional fallacies • Code word • Phantom distinction •
Formal fallacies: |  Confusion of the inverse • Denying the antecedent • Non sequitur • Affirmative conclusion from a negative premise • Not even wrong • Chewbacca Defense • Affirming a disjunct • Illicit process • Four-term fallacy • Negative conclusion from affirmative premises • Fallacy fallacy • Substituting explanation for premise • Enthymeme • Syllogism • Formal fallacy • Existential assumption • Masked man fallacy • Self-refuting idea • Argument by gibberish • One single proof • Affirming the consequent • False dilemma • Conjunction fallacy •
Fallacious arguments: |  Bumblebee argument • Fatwa envy • Gotcha argument • Hoyle's fallacy • Intuition pump • Logic and Creation • Not Circular Reasoning • Peanut butter argument • Great Beethoven fallacy • Fallacy of unique founding conditions • Evil is the absence of God • Argument from first cause • How do you know? Were you there? • Argument from design • Argument from beauty • Appeal to nature • Solferino fallacy • Religious scientists • Nothing to hide • Argument from fine tuning • Creep shaming • "I used to be an atheist" • Atheism as a religion • Argumentum ad populum • Argument from morality • Anti-environmentalism • Appeal to bias • Apophasis • Argumentum ad nauseam • Appeal to censorship • Argumentum ad sarcina inserta • Blaming the victim • Bait-and-switch • Danth's Law • Chewbacca Defense • Canard • DARVO • Demonization • Escape hatch • Friend argument • Everyone is racist • Gish Gallop • Greece-baiting • Gore's Law • Ham Hightail • Just asking questions • Leading question • Loaded language • Linking to authority • Loaded question • Lying by omission • Motte and bailey • Nazi analogies • Moving the goalposts • One single proof • Pink-baiting • One-way hash argument • Pathos gambit • Quote mining • Poisoning the well • Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum videtur • Race card • Red-baiting • Red herring • Release the data • Science was wrong before • Shill gambit • Straw man • Silent Majority • Uncertainty tactic • Style over substance • Terrorism-baiting • Weasel word • What's the harm (logical fallacy) • Whataboutism • Bullshit • Logical fallacy • Banana argument • Scapegoat • How come there are still monkeys? • Anti-racist is a code word for anti-white • Ontological argument • Omnipotence paradox • Presuppositionalism • Just a joke • Countless counterfeits fallacy •
Conditional fallacies: |  Slippery slope • What's the harm (logical fallacy) • Special pleading • Conditional fallacy • On the spot fallacy • Appeal to the minority • Argumentum ad populum • Galileo gambit • Professor of nothing •
| Genetic fallacies: |  Genetic fallacy •
|  | Appeals to authority: |  Ipse dixit • Appeal to confidence • Argumentum ad populum • Argument from authority • Linking to authority • Silent Majority • Invincible authority • Appeal to celebrity • Ultracrepidarianism • Appeal to the minority • Galileo gambit • Appeal to identity • Weasel word • Professor of nothing • Euthyphro dilemma • Divine command theory •
|  | Ad hominem: |  Ad iram • Argumentum ad cellarium • Bulverism • Poisoning the well • Blaming the victim • Tu quoque • Whataboutism • Nutpicking • Jonanism • Demonization • Shill gambit • Appeal to bias • Fallacy of opposition • Association fallacy • Damning with faint praise • Pathos gambit • Appeal to identity • Argumentum ad hominem • Nazi analogies • Not an argument • Nothing to hide • Scapegoat • 地下室论证 •
| Imprecision fallacies: |  Apex fallacy • Overprecision • Cherry picking • Overgeneralization • Texas sharpshooter fallacy • False analogy • Appeal to fiction • Spotlight fallacy • Pragmatic fallacy • Selection bias • Anecdotal evidence • Category mistake • Nutpicking • Imprecision fallacy • Confounding factor • Fallacy of accident • Neyman's bias •
Valid logical methods: |  Rapoport's Rules • Negative evidence • Reductio ad absurdum •
Fallacy collections: |  SeekFind • Nizkor Project • Fallacy Files • Your Logical Fallacy Is • Logically Fallacious •