3. Appeal to Ignorance
A Common Core Lesson
By
Dean Berry, Ed. D.
Gregg Berry, B. A.
Common Core Curriculum Solutions
4. Reading with Your Eyes and Your Brain
Skillful readers learn how to read persuasive or
opinionated text with a very critical eye. They
realize that the author’s purpose is to convince the
reader to believe what the author is saying and to
consider the arguments given as valid even if they
violate logical reasoning and lack supporting
evidence. The author’s motive may be to get the
reader to buy something, vote a certain way,
change an attitude, or behave differently.
5. • In order to avoid manipulation by the author,
good readers learn how to detect poor
reasoning and faulty arguments. They are
able to identify the various logical fallacies
such as begging the question, strawman,
overgeneralization, slippery slope, and
others. During this lesson, we will study
logical fallacies.
6. Lack of information or ignorance is not
evidence that something must be true.
9. Appeal to Ignorance
• Such an argument assumes a proposition to be true
simply because there is no evidence proving that it is not.
Thus, absence of evidence proving that something is false
is accepted as proof that the opposite must be true. .
Similarly, when we did not know how the pyramids were
built, some concluded that, unless proven otherwise, they
must have therefore been built by a supernatural power or
aliens from outer space. However, to be scientific and
evidence based, the burden-of-proof always lies with the
person making the claim.
10. Is this a logical fallacy? Why? Why Not?
In spite of all the talk, not a single flying
saucer report has been authenticated. We
may assume, therefore, there are not such
things as flying saucers.
11. Appeal to Ignorance
• A specific form of the appeal to ignorance is
the argument that stems from a person's
inability to imagine that an event could be
possible and therefore is not believable. For
example, It is impossible to imagine that we
actually landed a man on the moon, therefore
it never happened. Responses of this sort are
sometimes wittily countered with, That's why
you're not a nuclear scientist.
12. Is this statement a logical fallacy?
Why? Why Not?
“You can’t prove that there aren’t
Martians living in caves somewhere on
Mars, so it is reasonable for me to believe
there are living creatures on mars.
13. Is this a logical fallacy?
Why? Why Not?
Since you cannot prove that
ghosts do not exist, they probably
do exist.
16. Is this a logical fallacy?
Why? Why Not?
No one has conclusively proven that there is no
intelligent life on the moons of Jupiter.
Therefore, there must be intelligent life on the
moons of Jupiter.
17. What kind of logical fallacy is this?
Why do you think so?
18. Pair Share
Meet in pairs or small groups and write one sentence
claims that are based on a total lack of facts and
evidence. Use the following topics as possible ideas for
your claims. Write three claims and discuss what type of
evidence would be adequate to support such an argument.
Extra terrestrial life
Mental telepathy
Born lucky
September 11 terrorist attack
Ghosts
19. Was this guy willing to seek solutions to the
problem of high gas prices? Why do you say that?
