Burden of Proof Fallacy
A: “Zeus is real.”
B: “Do you have evidence?”
A: “Do you have evidence that he doesn’t exist?”
You commit the burden of proof fallacy when you make a claim and, instead of offering evidence, tell others to disprove it—and then assume you’re right if they don’t or can’t.
Here’s another example: “This herb cures eczema. If you disagree, name a study that proves it doesn’t work.”
The person who asserts a claim is responsible for supporting it. If someone says ghosts exist, a supplement cures disease, or an election was rigged, the next step is to present evidence. Demanding that others “prove it isn’t so” often presents an impossible task, especially when the claim is vague or unfalsifiable.
Sometimes there are established rules about who bears the burden. In law, the prosecution must prove guilt, in science, a new hypothesis must be supported by data, and in consumer products, the maker is required to meet safety standards.
Note: If we don’t have good evidence for a claim, we shouldn’t accept it—but that doesn’t necessarily mean we should declare it false, either. Often, all we can say is: “There’s not enough evidence to draw a conclusion yet.” Aliens are a good example. The universe is huge and we’ve only searched a fragment of it. Lacking evidence for extraterrestrial life today doesn’t prove it doesn’t exist; it just means we don’t know.
Back to the Logical Fallacy Handbook
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