Argument from ignorance

Argument from ignorance is when you say something is true because nobody has proved it false—or false because nobody has proved it true. Not being able to prove something isn't proof of the opposite. Absence of evidence isn't evidence of absence when we haven't looked properly; and even when we've looked, "we don't know" doesn't mean "we know the opposite." The fallacy is to treat ignorance as a reason for a positive conclusion.

Examples

• Nobody has proved that ghosts don't exist, so ghosts exist.

• Science can't explain it, so it must be supernatural.

• No one has shown the product is unsafe, so it's safe.