There is More to an Argumentum Ad Ignorantiam than Epistemic Considerations

Abstract

Instances of the argumentum ad ignorantiam are recognized as cogent if the epistemic closure principle holds: ‘if p were true, then p would be known to be true’. This explains why mainstream treatments pursue an epistemic approach. An epistemic approach, however, cannot explain the cogency of ignorance-based arguments where the epistemic closure principle need not hold. We review the epistemic approach and present instances of ignorance-based arguments the cogency of which challenges the epistemic approach.