Shifting the burden of proof
Also called: Appeal to ignorance
Claiming something is true because it hasn't been disproved, and asking others to disprove it.
How to spot it
Whoever makes the claim owes the evidence. Is the other side being asked to prove a negative?
Example
“There's a dragon in my garage. Prove there isn't.”
How to answer it
Say that the claim needs support first. Absence of disproof isn't evidence.
Related
- Moving the goalposts: Changing what would count as proof after the earlier standard has been met.
- Anecdotal evidence: Using one person's story as if it settled a general question.
- Argument from incredulity: Concluding something is false because you can't imagine how it could be true.