Burden of proof

Science and logic

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• Anecdotal evidence
• Burden of proof
• Occam's razor
• Evidence
• Falsifiability
• File-drawer effect
• Peer review in frontier subject areas
• Positive claims
• Science
• Scientific consensus and frontier subject areas
• Scientific fact
• Standards of evidence
• Statistical significance

The burden of proof is always on the person who makes a claim. A claim may be positive or negative. For example there may be a claim that "X is real" or "X is unreal." Both types of claims (X and not X) require supporting evidence or logical defense. However, it is much more difficult to prove that something does not exist than that something does exist.

When anyone makes a claim, either positive or negative, it is the responsibility of the person making the claim to prove it. It is easy to get around the obligation to present proof ("burden of proof"). For example, instead of stating "X is unreal" or "X does not exist," substitute "I do not believe X is real," or "I do not know of any evidence that X is real."