Argument based on the absence of statements in historical documents, rather than their presence
To make an argument from silence (Latin: argumentum ex silentio) is to express a conclusion that is based on the absence of statements in historical documents, rather than their presence.[2][3] In the field of classical studies, it often refers to the assertion that an author is ignorant of a subject, based on the lack of references to it in the author's available writings.[3] Thus, in historical analysis with an argument from silence, the absence of a reference to an event or a document is used to cast doubt on the event not mentioned.[4] While most historical approaches rely on what an author's works contain, an argument from silence relies on what the book or document does not contain.[4] This approach thus uses what an author "should have said" rather than what is available in the author's extant writings.[4][5]
An argument from silence may apply to a document only if the author was expected to have the information, was intending to give a complete account of the situation, and the item was important enough and interesting enough to deserve to be mentioned at the time.[6][7] Arguments from silence, based on a writer's failure to mention an event, are distinct from arguments from ignorance which rely on a total "absence of evidence" and are widely considered unreliable; however arguments from silence themselves are also generally viewed as rather weak in many cases; or considered as fallacies.[1][8]
^ abThe Routledge Companion to Epistemology by Sven Bernecker and Duncan Pritchard (2010) ISBN 0-415-96219-6 Routledge pp. 64–65 "arguments from silence are, as a rule, quite weak; there are many examples where reasoning from silence would lead us astray."
^"argumentum e silentio noun phrase" The Oxford Essential Dictionary of Foreign Terms in English. Ed. Jennifer Speake. Berkley Books, 1999.
^ abJohn Lange, "The Argument from Silence", History and Theory, Vol. 5, No. 3 (1966), pp. 288–301.
^ abcSeven Pillories of Wisdom by David R. Hall 1991 ISBN 0-86554-369-0 pp. 55–56.
^Historical evidence and argument by David P. Henige (2005) ISBN 978-0-299-21410-4 p. 176.
^Cite error: The named reference Howe73 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Cite error: The named reference Magna56 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Cite error: The named reference Duncan83 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
and 29 Related for: Argument from silence information
To make an argumentfromsilence (Latin: argumentum ex silentio) is to express a conclusion that is based on the absence of statements in historical documents...
Argumentfrom fallacy is the formal fallacy of analyzing an argument and inferring that, since it contains a fallacy, its conclusion must be false. It...
missing the point: presenting an argument that may be sound but fails to address the issue in question. An argumentfromsilence is a faulty conclusion that...
An argumentfrom anecdote is an informal logical fallacy, where anecdotal evidence is presented as an argument; without any other contributory evidence...
Argumentfrom analogy is a special type of inductive argument, where perceived similarities are used as a basis to infer some further similarity that...
Wikiquote has quotations related to Argumentfrom authority. An argumentfrom authority (argumentum ab auctoritate), also called an appeal to authority...
Ad nauseam is a Latin term for an argument or other discussion that has continued to the point of nausea. For example, "this has been discussed ad nauseam"...
assumption may also therefore have become untrue. Appeal to novelty Argumentfrom authority Argument to moderation Common sense Conservatism Herd mentality Inductive...
and external arguments, that consider the wider cultural and historical context. Some of the external arguments are "argumentsfromsilence" that question...
(sometimes written as strawman) is the informal fallacy of refuting an argument different from the one actually under discussion, while not recognizing or acknowledging...
also known as argumentum ad consequentiam (Latin for "argument to the consequence"), is an argument that concludes a hypothesis (typically a belief) to...
In argumentation theory, an argumentum ad populum (Latin for "appeal to the people") is a fallacious argument which is based on claiming a truth or affirming...
Argument to moderation (Latin: argumentum ad temperantiam)—also known as the false compromise, argumentfrom middle ground, fallacy of gray, middle ground...
An argument is a series of sentences, statements, or propositions some of which are called premises and one is the conclusion. The purpose of an argument...
or the horse laugh) is an informal fallacy which presents an opponent's argument as absurd, ridiculous, or humorous, and therefore not worthy of serious...
person'), short for argumentum ad hominem, refers to several types of arguments that are fallacious. Typically this term refers to a rhetorical strategy...
defect in an argument whereby the premises are just as much in need of proof or evidence as the conclusion, and as a consequence the argument fails to persuade...
assertion. Argumentfromsilence (argumentum ex silentio) – assuming that a claim is true based on the absence of textual or spoken evidence from an authoritative...
well-timed silence can throw an opponent off and give the debater the upper hand. An argumentfromsilence (Latin: argumentum ex silentio) is an argument based...
"Sealioning" was used to silence legitimate requests for proof. In 2021, Maclean's compared its origination to other terms derived from comic strips that became...
Argumentum ad baculum (Latin for "argument to the cudgel" or "appeal to the stick") is the fallacy committed when one makes an appeal to force to bring...
perfect solution fallacy is a related informal fallacy that occurs when an argument assumes that a perfect solution exists or that a solution should be rejected...
A tone argument (also called tone policing) is a type of ad hominem aimed at the tone of an argument instead of its factual or logical content in order...
In a slippery slope argument, a course of action is rejected because the slippery slope advocate believes it will lead to a chain reaction resulting in...
hominem arguments which attack the speaker rather than addressing the claims, but in this case the ill feeling is not created by the argument; it already...
and thus cannot prove something is impossible, is a version of an argumentfromsilence. Appeal to accomplishment is a form of appeal to authority, which...
An etymological fallacy is an argument of equivocation, arguing that a word is defined by its etymology, and that its customary usage is therefore incorrect...