[thechat] A balance of opinion.
Madhu Menon
webguru at vsnl.net
Tue Mar 25 04:49:08 CST 2003
At 03:25 PM 25-03-03, Drew Shiel wrote:
>>A connection has not been disproved, either. I'm not saying I believe
>>everything I read in the papers, but here's an interesting read anyway:
>>http://www.iht.com/articles/84885.html
>
> Isn't proving something not true some kind of logical problem? Or am I
> remembering something else?
No, you're right. You can't prove a negative. The burden of proof is on the
person making the assertion. In plain English, I don't have to prove you're
wrong; you have to prove you're right.
Logical fallacy - Burden of Proof:
http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/burden-of-proof.html
For instance, here's a debate one might have:
PersonX: I tell you, those purple Martians have really invaded the bodies
of our politicians. They now control the world.
PersonY: What purple Martians?
PersonX: The mind-controlling Martian freaks who are capable of existing in
ethereal form and taking over human bodies
PersonY: That's ridiculous. There are no purple Martians that we know of.
PersonX: Yes, there are.
PersonY: We've never found any proof that such creatures exist.
PersonX: Yes, but you've never found any proof they don't! How do you know
they don't?
See how ridiculous that sounds?
Related fallacy - Begging the question
http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/begging-the-question.html
Regards,
Madhu
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Madhu Menon
Internet User Experience Consultant
e-mail: webguru at vsnl.net | Yahoo messenger: cold_logic
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