You Made the Claim, So You Prove It!

The Fallacy in the Burden of Proof

Photo by Afif Ramdhasuma on Unsplash

Mid-point in an argument after you’ve made excellent points you hear…

“You have made the claim, it’s your job to prove it!”

This move is a classic of debate. Indeed, if they’re losing the argument, it is probably their last move. Why is it, in such situations, their last move? Quite simply because they’ve lost the argument. They have nothing of substance to offer as a challenge and know they’re beat.

Your problem now is that their response is actually quite fair.
Why shouldn’t you prove your point and support your case?

The Fallacy of Shifting the Burden of Proof

First, we should examine what this claim does (and does not do). It shifts the burden of proof. The person who makes a claim presumably bears the burden of proving it. But in everyday banter and disputation, this rule gets wrung for its maximum ideological potential.

The regular rhetorical swindle is that people use the principle as an escape hatch to get out of engaging with the substance of the argument.

They Want to Win By Default.

Here’s the most important point…