What is the fallacy of presumption suppressed evidence?
Asked by: Prof. Favian Hermiston | Last update: February 8, 2026Score: 5/5 (72 votes)
The Fallacy of Suppressed Evidence (or Neglected Evidence) occurs when an arguer presents a seemingly strong case by deliberately or accidentally leaving out crucial, relevant information that would weaken or disprove their conclusion, creating a misleading impression that their premises are complete and sufficient. It's a type of Fallacy of Presumption because it wrongly assumes the presented facts are all that matter, leading to faulty conclusions, often seen in advertising (cherry-picking good points) or biased news.
What is the fallacy of suppressed evidence?
We commit the fallacy of suppressed or neglected evidence when we fail to consider (or simply overlook) evidence that is likely to be relevant to an argument. In this case, we may include premises that are relevant, but we commit a fallacy because we leave out other information that is also relevant.
What is an example of a fallacy of presumption?
This fallacy is often illustrated by the question “Have you stopped beating your wife?” The question presupposes that you have beaten your wife prior to its asking, as well as presupposing that you have a wife. If you have no wife, or have never beaten your wife, then the question is loaded.
What is an example of Baculum fallacy?
Argumentum ad baculum examples use threats, coercion, or negative consequences instead of logic to force acceptance of a conclusion, such as a boss threatening job loss if an employee questions a policy, a politician implying ostracism for not supporting a bill, or a parent grounding a child indefinitely for disagreeing with a rule. The fallacy shifts focus from the argument's merits to the fear of punishment or undesirable outcomes, replacing reason with intimidation, like saying, "You'll be sent to hell if you don't believe in God" or "Join our demonstration or we'll evict you".
What is the ad ignorantiam fallacy?
Argumentum ad ignorantiam, or the appeal to ignorance, is a logical fallacy claiming something is true because it hasn't been proven false, or false because it hasn't been proven true, essentially equating a lack of evidence with evidence of absence. It's a flawed argument because the absence of proof doesn't inherently validate a conclusion, and it ignores possibilities like future discoveries or unknowable facts, shifting the burden of proof unfairly.
Learning Logic [] 45 [] The Suppressed Evidence Fallacy
What is a black swan fallacy?
Variations: The Black Swan Fallacy is committed when one claims, based on past experience, contradictory evidence or claims must be rejected. It is treating the heuristic of induction like an algorithm. The name comes from the claim that “all swans are white” because nobody has ever seen a black swan before...
What is Argumentum verecundiam?
The Argumentum ad Verecundiam Fallacy Defined and Explained. Argumentum ad Verecundiam Fallacy (argument from inappropriate authority): an appeal to the testimony of an authority outside of the authority's special field of expertise.
What is ad misericordiam fallacy?
Argumentum ad misericordiam (Latin for “argument from pity or misery”) is another name for appeal to pity fallacy. It occurs when someone evokes sympathy or guilt in an attempt to gain support for their claim, without providing any logical reasons to support the claim itself.
What is the cudgel argument?
Argumentum ad baculum (Latin for "argument to the cudgel" or "appeal to the stick") is a type of argument made when one attempts to appeal to force to bring about the acceptance of a conclusion.
What is the ignoratio elenchi fallacy?
An irrelevant conclusion, also known as ignoratio elenchi (Latin for 'ignoring refutation') or missing the point, is the informal fallacy of presenting an argument whose conclusion fails to address the issue in question. It falls into the broad class of relevance fallacies.
What is the fallacy of illicit presumption?
This fallacy occurs when someone tries to convince you of something by presenting it as one of a limited number of options and the best choice among those options. The illicit presumption is that the options are limited in the way presented; in fact, there are additional options that are not offered.
What is an example of a Bulverism fallacy?
Example #1:
Martin: All white people are not racists. Charlie: Yes they are. You just believe that because you are white. Explanation: Charlie is making two errors: 1) he is assuming that Martin must be wrong and 2) he is basing that assumption on an accidental feature of Martin—the amount of pigmentation in his skin.
What is the non sequitur fallacy?
(7) The fallacy of non sequitur (“it does not follow”) occurs when there is not even a deceptively plausible appearance of valid reasoning, because there is an obvious lack of connection between the given premises and the conclusion drawn from them.
What is the legal term for suppression of evidence?
Suppression occurs when evidence collected in violation of the Constitution becomes inadmissible at trial. Evidence excluded this way is referred to as being “suppressed.” This is known as the Exclusionary Rule.
What is an example of a false dichotomy?
A false dichotomy (or false dilemma) presents only two options as if they are the only possibilities, ignoring other valid choices, such as "You're either with us or against us," when neutrality or a third stance exists, or "Either you support a policy fully or you want the opposite outcome," ignoring nuanced positions like conditional support or alternative solutions. Examples range from political slogans like "America, love it or leave it" to everyday situations like "It's either this diet or an unhealthy life," when many healthy options exist.
What is an example of suppressed evidence?
Some examples of evidence commonly suppressed include:
- Evidence obtained by an unreasonable search in violation of your Fourth Amendment rights.
- Evidence obtained due to an unlawful traffic stop or arrest, which constitutes an unreasonable seizure in violation of your Fourth Amendment rights.
What is the argument of baculum?
Abstract: The argumentum ad baculum is based upon the appeal to force or threat in order to bring about the acceptance of a conclusion. The fallacy is explained here in both its fallacious and its nonfallacious forms with illustrative examples.
What are the 12 logical fallacies?
Twelve common logical fallacies include Ad Hominem (attacking the person), Straw Man (misrepresenting an argument), False Dilemma (oversimplifying to two choices), Hasty Generalization (jumping to conclusions), Slippery Slope (assuming a chain reaction), Appeal to Authority/Emotion/Pity/Popularity (using irrelevant influence), Red Herring (distraction), Circular Reasoning/Begging the Question (assuming the conclusion), Post Hoc (false cause), and Equivocation (using ambiguous words), all of which weaken arguments by relying on faulty reasoning instead of evidence.
What is a cudger?
A club (also known as a cudgel, baton, bludgeon, truncheon, cosh, nightstick, or impact weapon) is a short staff or stick, usually made of wood, wielded as a weapon or tool since prehistory.
What is an hominem fallacy?
Ad hominem fallacy (or ad hominem) is an attempt to discredit someone's argument by personally attacking them. Instead of discussing the argument itself, criticism is directed toward the opponent's character, which is irrelevant to the discussion.
What is a pity fallacy?
The appeal to pity fallacy is a logical fallacy in which a person making an argument ignores the argument or fails to provide a rational response, but instead appeals to pity in an attempt to distract the audience from their lack of a more reasonable main argument.
What are 5 examples of pathetic fallacy?
Any time a writer describes a wave as "angry," the sun as "smiling," or birdsong as "mournful," it's an example of pathetic fallacy, since emotions are being attributed to things that don't actually have them (or at least not in the way humans do).
What is the fallacy of Ipse Dixit?
It is an affirmation without proof, or a dogmatic expression of opinion, or a fallacy that consists in defending a proposition by stating, without further justification, that it is “exactly as it is” because it is an intrinsic, immutable question, namely: the argumentum ad verecundiam or argumentum magister dixit.
What is the logical fallacy ad Ignorantiam?
Argumentum ad ignorantiam, or an argument from ignorance, is a logical fallacy that occurs when a claim is considered true simply because it has not been proven false, or vice versa. This type of reasoning asserts that a lack of evidence for one position validates an alternative view.
What is the logical fallacy of reification?
The reification fallacy (or hypostatization) is an error in reasoning where an abstract concept, idea, or model (like "society," "justice," or "gravity") is treated as if it were a concrete, physical entity with its own will or power, leading to oversimplification and misleading conclusions, such as saying "Society is to blame" instead of naming the specific people responsible for an action. It's essentially mistaking the map for the territory, turning a useful abstraction into a real, acting thing.