Burden of Proof

Summary

Burden of Proof (Latin: onus probandi) refers to the obligation of a person making a claim to provide supporting evidence for it. In logical and scientific reasoning, claims without evidence should not be accepted, and the responsibility to prove a claim rests with the person making it—not their critic.

Failure to meet this burden results in unsupported speculation rather than reasoned argument. This principle is fundamental to science, debate, and rational inquiry.

Core Concepts

• Default Skepticism: If someone proposes a new or controversial claim, they must back it with sufficient evidence before it is accepted.

• Null Hypothesis: In science, claims are evaluated against a null hypothesis. Evidence must meaningfully refute the null to shift belief.

• Scientific Method: Requires claims to be falsifiable, repeatable, and backed by empirical evidence.

Common Abuses

• Shifting the Burden: A fallacy in which someone makes a claim and then demands others disprove it (e.g., “You can’t prove it’s false!”).

• Unfalsifiable Claims: Claims that cannot be disproven (e.g., “We live in a simulation”) are not automatically valid simply because they can’t be refuted.

• Appeal to Ignorance: Assuming something is true because it hasn’t been proven false is logically invalid.

• God Claims: Theists and antitheists alike often misuse burden of proof, insisting the other side disprove or prove the existence of a deity, without providing sufficient evidence for their own claim.

Key Applications

• Science: Hypotheses must be supported by reproducible data and be open to falsification.

• Philosophy: Skepticism is a rational stance when no evidence has been presented.

• Debate: Whoever makes the positive assertion—not the skeptic—carries the burden of evidence.

Related Concepts

• [[Falsifiability]]

• [[Null Hypothesis]]

• [[Russell’s Teapot]]

• [[Extraordinary Claims Require Extraordinary Evidence]]

• [[Shifting the Burden of Proof]]

• [[Just Asking Questions (JAQing Off)]]

• [[Sealioning]]

• [[Appeal to Ignorance]]

• [[Disinformation tactics]]

In a Nutshell

The burden of proof lies with the person making the claim.
Claims made without evidence can be dismissed without evidence.

Notes for Future Development

• Could explore legal vs. epistemic definitions of burden of proof.

• Compare with pedagogical discourse—who carries the burden of proof in power-laden educational spaces?

• Link to digital contexts (e.g., online misinformation, conspiracy theories, and sealioning tactics).