bhaskar saikia

Have you ever heard someone say, “No one has proven it wrong, so it must be true”?

Or perhaps, “There’s no proof it’s real, so it must be false”?

At first glance, these statements might sound reasonable. But in logic, they fall under a common trap known as the Appeal to Ignorance.

The appeal to ignorance is a type of flawed reasoning where someone uses a lack of evidence as proof for or against a claim. In other words, if something hasn’t been shown to be false, they assume it must be true—and vice versa. This kind of argument doesn’t actually provide any solid support. It simply points to what we don’t know and treats that uncertainty as if it proves something.

Take a simple example: someone says, “We haven’t found any evidence of wrongdoing, so everything must be fine.” That may sound comforting, but the absence of evidence doesn’t automatically mean there’s nothing wrong. It might just mean we haven’t looked in the right places yet, or that the truth is still hidden.

This fallacy shows up in everyday conversations, news debates, and even in our personal decision-making. It’s a reminder that not knowing something doesn’t give us permission to assume either way. Instead of jumping to conclusions, we should accept uncertainty as part of the learning process and keep asking questions.

Being aware of the appeal to ignorance helps us think more clearly. It teaches us to base our beliefs on what we know, not on what we don’t know. After all, real understanding comes from curiosity, evidence, and patience—not from filling in the blanks with assumptions.