Steelman
Shifting the burden of proof
Also called burden-shifting, “Prove me wrong”, misplaced burden of proof.
Making a claim and then demanding that others disprove it.
What it is
Asserting a claim and then insisting that doubters prove it false, instead of providing support for it yourself.
The pattern
A claims X. B asks for evidence. A: “Prove X is false.”
An example
A: “This crystal cures anxiety.”
B: “What’s the evidence?” A: “Can you prove it doesn’t?”
A made the claim, so A owes the evidence. B’s inability to disprove it proves nothing.
Why it fails
Whoever makes a claim takes on the job of supporting it. If “you can’t disprove it” were enough, every untestable claim, however absurd, would have to be accepted.
When it’s not a fallacy
Most lists skip this part. Calling a fair point a fallacy is a mistake too.
It can be fair when
- The other person made the positive claim, or there’s an agreed default, such as the legal presumption of innocence or a well-established scientific finding that a challenger must overturn.
Try one
A question from the app. The wrong answers are its usual look-alikes.
Comment thread. Remy: “AI art is real art, full stop.” Dana: “What makes it art, though?” Remy: “Museums have hung a urinal and a banana taped to a wall. Give me a definition of art that lets those in and keeps AI images out. Until you can, it’s art.”
What’s the flaw?
Remy made the claim, and Dana asked for his reasons. The urinal and the banana only show that art is hard to define; he makes her produce a definition that rules AI out, and counts his claim as true until she can.
A fair reply
“You said it’s art, so tell me what makes it art.”
Often confused with
- Appeal to ignorance
Burden-shifting demands that others disprove a claim. Appeal to ignorance then treats their failure to do so as proof.
Where the name comes from
A burden is a load to carry, and in law the burden of proof is the job of backing up a claim. Shifting it means making the claim, then handing that load to someone else. “Prove me wrong” is the whole move in 3 words, and “misplaced burden of proof” says the load landed on the wrong person.
Bertrand Russell’s “celestial teapot” comes from his article “Is There a God?”, written in 1952 but not published in his lifetime.
Sources
- Fallacies, Bradley Dowden, Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
- Burden of proof (philosophy), Wikipedia
In the app
Practice spotting it on arguments that sound real.
Steelman has more examples of shifting the burden of proof, how to answer it in a real conversation, and practice rounds that mix it with its look-alikes, so you learn the difference, not just the name. Coming soon to iPhone and Android.
You’re on the list.
We’ll email you the day Steelman is out.
Thanks for offering to test. We’ll write before the beta with how to join.