An evaluation of Walton’s distinction between correct and incorrect appeals to ignorance
Keywords:
Argument strategy, argument from ignorance, fallacyAbstract
Douglas Walton (1992, 1996, 1999a, 2008) has shown that many fallacies are incorrect applications of argument strategies that can also be correctly applied. Among these strategies, we find the appeal to ignorance. This paper has two purposes. In the first place, it tries to show that the arguments that Walton identifies as correct appeals to ignorance can only be considered as appeals to ignorance if we adopt an understanding of this category that is very different from the traditional one, being some of these arguments also fallacious. In the second place, this paper tries to show that there are certain arguments not considered by Walton that could be correct arguments from ignorance, understanding this category in the traditional way. However, the question of their correctness faces questions that I leave open.
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References
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