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| Jan 22, 2010 5:03 pm |
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re: re: re: re: That Human Activity is a Significant Cause of Global Warming. |
Thomas Holford
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> This exchange looks to me like a situation where somebody A warns another person B of the danger involved in B’s activity of sawing away on the branch of a tree -- the branch both are sitting on: “That sawing off the branch one is sitting on will have unpleasant consequences for the persons sitting on it”. B reminds A sternly that the burden of proof rests on the Affirmative position. Instead of quickly changing the proposition to the its negated version, (which would shift the burden of proof to the person affirming it by engaging in the activity) A meekly goes online to find urls to support his position, while B continues sawing.
Not sawing the branch you are sitting on is the negative proposition. I don't have to prove that there are consequences.
Sawing the branch you are sitting on is the affirmative proposition. The consequences of sawing a branch you are sitting on are, for most people, easy to prove.
That's why the burden of proof is on the affirmative proposition.
A laboratory demonstration of the operation of a saw and a the laws of gravity would satisfy most scientists.
I think you might be confusing "burden of proof" with "refusing to accept any proof".
Private Reply to Thomas Holford (new win) |
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