I can create, invent, make up straight from my imagination any phenomenon I want. Since I just made it up, obviously it doesn’t exist in reality, it’s not real. And because it doesn’t really exist, its existence cannot be proven or disproven, so any argument made in terms of its existence can be made with confidence that it cannot be disproven. Any attempt to prove or disprove the imaginary phenomenon will be a logical fallacy of one form or another. This is what I call the ‘Argument of Nothing’ and its power to control people cannot be overstated because it is an impenetrable argument with applications in all facets of society especially religion and politics. It’s extremely powerful in persuading people’s minds to believe things for which there is no evidence, no proof and no reason.
For example, most people would admit that Santa Claus doesn’t really exist, that it was just a childhood fairy tale created over the ages for children. But it’s impossible to prove Santa Claus doesn’t exist because you can’t prove something doesn’t exist that doesn’t exist. You also can’t prove Santa Claus does exist but the human mind is more susceptible to accepting something that might be true than it is to rejecting it because there is no proof. It’s the ‘better safe than sorry’ philosophy of life. Blaise Pascal is known for ‘Pascal’s Wager’ in which individuals engage in a life-defining gamble regarding the belief in the existence of a God. There is no proof a God doesn’t exist so since a God might exist, better safe than sorry so they choose – at least ostensibly – to believe. Churches leverage the ‘Argument of Nothing’ to recruit and retain members by confidently preaching religious dogma that they know cannot be disproven and with enough pomp, circumstance, showmanship and fear, they can convince people it might be true so it’s better to be safe than sorry with eternal damnation.
This can be done by anyone with anything. I recently figured out why some people win the lottery multiple times. It’s because a descendant is traveling back in time and giving their ancestors the winning numbers so they’ll have a fortune to inherit in the future. I can’t prove it’s true, but you can’t prove it’s not. The ‘Argument of Nothing’.
The argument of nothing is a powerful tool in politics and is most effective with phenomena that have an aire of plausibility but cannot be validated by the average person. For them it’s more of an abstraction that exists somewhere in society without form or detail, it just is. For example, even if you’re not a medical professional, most people believe viruses exist. So if propaganda is spread that there is a new, deadly virus it’s impossible for a suburbanite to know if it’s true or not. They’ve never seen a virus under a microscope and wouldn’t know one if they did. It could just as well be a complete fabrication, nothing but a political manifestation to push a political agenda (i.e. money and power) and there’d be no way for the 9-5er to disprove it, the ‘Argument of Nothing’, but better safe than sorry with your health!
Are carbon based fuels creating a climate crisis? Those claiming they are can’t prove it but you can’t prove it’s not. Better safe than sorry. ‘Argument of Nothing’.
Does ‘Artificial Intelligence’ pose a national security threat? Those claiming it does can’t prove it but you can’t prove it doesn’t. Better safe than sorry. ‘Argument of Nothing’.