Logical Fallacy of Appeal to Possibility / Appeal to Probability

The logical fallacy of appeal to possibility is one of the many smokescreens that are used to cover the fact that the reasoning is based on one of the three fallacies of Agrippa's trilemma. Whenever a logical fallacy is committed, the fallacy has its roots in Agrippa's trilemma. All human thought (without Divine revelation) is based on one of three unhappy possibilities. These three possibilities are infinite regress, circular reasoning, or axiomatic thinking. This problem is known as Agrippa's trilemma. Some have claimed that only logic and math can be known without Divine revelation; however, that is not true. There is no reason to trust either logic or math without Divine revelation. Science is also limited to the pragmatic because of the weakness on human reasoning, which is known as Agrippa's trilemma.

The logical fallacy of appeal to possibility occurs when someone asserts that something is true because it is possible or to say that something is very probable when it is only remotely possible or even impossible.

Examples of the Logical Fallacy of Appeal to Possibility / Appeal to Probability

"Replace the word 'certain' in your life with 'extremely probable'."

An instructional website designed to teach Atheists to argue had this sentence as a tip. Many Atheists are becoming aware of the problem of the logical fallacy of the universal negative but still need the fallacy to promote their beliefs. And Atheists have begun to use the term, "extremely probably," to appear to get around the problem. However they are exchanging one problem for another. When they say that something is probable, several questions must be answered. How probable? Can they put a real number on it? How was the number derived? Is it real? You will find that certain things that are claimed to be extremely probable, such as Atheism, Naturalism, Materialism, Uniformitarianism, Old-Earth/Universe-ism, and Evolutionism are not probable at all. They are false.

"Evolution seems like a long shot, but there are so many planets in the Universe that we might actually be the result of a lucky shot."

This Christian is considering that if something might be possible, then it probably happened--the fallacy of appeal to possibility. Actually, it is only possible if we say that anything is possible, in which case, we are in the land of insanity and irrationality. The public schools and most Universities do a great job of making evolution and big bang seem as if they were possible. The label, Christian, is used because this is a person who has no real contact with the living Christ. He can't say that his faith comes by hearing and his hearing comes by the word (Greek: rhema = utterance) of God, that it's the gift of God lest anyone should boast. All he has is what he has been taught, a theoretical, rationalized faith. He needs to learn to acknowledge Jesus so that He knows Him, and then it will be possible to follow Him.

Sandy: "Evolution is scientific fact. Information is added to cells all the time through duplication, mutation and then natural selection"

Rocky: "Actually, the kind of new, innovative, universal information that would be required for even the smallest step in evolution has never been observed."

Sandy: "Well, it's still possible that it happens once in a while somewhere. You can't prove that it doesn't."

Rocky: "I think that you are trying to convince me that molecules-to-man evolution actually took place, not that it might be possible. If so, do you have any compelling evidence at all that it actually happened?"

Sandy: "If it is possible, then it must have happened."

Have you noticed that evolutionism evangelists never try to prove that the Big-Bang-Billions-of-Years-No-Flood-Molecules-to-Man story actually happened. The try, unsuccessfully, to prove that it is possible. The story is presupposed. The attitude is that if it is possible, then it happened. This is the logical fallacy of appeal to possibility.

Sandy: "Your contention that God leads His people is ridiculous."

Rocky: "It's been my experience and the experience of millions of followers of Christ that He does indeed lead us."

Sandy: "Yeah, but did you ever consider that it is possible that you and millions of believers are not experiencing what you think you are experiencing?"

Rocky: "You can easily test this. I don't give you my experience as proof but as a testimony. But everyone who seeks Christ in sincerity finds Christ. If you open your mind to Christ and ask Him to forgive you for resisting Him, He will reveal Himself to you. Then you'll know. That will be the proof."

Have you noticed that evolutionism evangelists never try to prove that the Big-Bang-Billions-of-Years-No-Flood-Molecules-to-Man story actually happened. They try, unsuccessfully, to prove that it's possible. The story is presupposed. The attitude is that if it is possible, then it happened. This is the logical fallacy of appeal to possibility.

You can't blame Sandy. He's grasping for straws, since his worldview isn't defensible. To have one's worldview challenged is very difficult. So, Sandy appeals to possibility.

All evolutionistic selling is based on trying to assert, against the evidence, that evolution is possible. The whole thrust of the argument is, "If is is possible, then it happened, and if we can make up fanciful, scientific-sounding stories to explain away each of the scientific discoveries that falsify the grand story of evolution, then we have proven evolution to be possible.

The same holds of billions of years. Stories are not science and don't prove something to be possible. And possibility doesn't prove that something happened.

An ungodly-thinking website known as rationalwiki.org recently made an argument against this page. That argument is refuted here: http://www.SeekFind.net/Answer_to_Critic.html