Vacuous Explanation / Vacuous Statement / Null Value Fallacy

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 regression, circular reasoning, or axiomatic thinking. This is known as Agrippa's trilemma. Some have claimed that only logic and math can be known; however, that is not true. Without Divine revelation, neither logic nor math can be known. Science is also a casualty of the weakness on human reasoning, which is known as Agrippa's trilemma.

A Vacuous Explanation / Vacuous Statement / Null Value Fallacy occurs when a statement contains no meaningful information or a question cannot gain any meaningful information, especially when the illusion is given that information has been gained. A null value is an unknown value. It is not the same as an empty value. Every fallacy results in all or part of a statement/explanation being vacuous. Currently, "vacuous" means having or showing a lack of thought or intelligence; mindless. It used to mean empty or lacking content, but that is considered archaic usage according to some sources. To simply call something vacuous without stating why is, in itself, a vacuous statement in the form of a question-begging epithet. The statement contains no information other than a meaningless attack, unless the statement is further explained what fallacies have been committed.

Example of the Vacuous Explanation / Vacuous Statement / Null Value Fallacy

Sandra: “The mechanism for evolution [molecules-to-man] is this. First, we have gene duplication. Then the duplicated gene mutates. That is how information is added to the genome for a small change. Then, if it is an improvement, natural selection selects it and eliminates those individuals that don’t have the new change. If it is a detriment, natural selection eliminates that change. This is proof of evolution [molecules-to-man].”

Roxanne: “I don’t mean to be rude, but that’s a vacuous statement. The word evolution must be defined. How mutation provides information must be defined in detail, and the information must be shown to be capable of created changes from the most simple life to human beings.’” 

There is no evidence of actual information of the kind that would be needed for the smallest supposed step in molecules-to-man evolution to have ever happened. There is duplication. There are mutations. There is natural elimination in extreme cases. However, there is no evidence for information being added. Yet the story sounded real, didn’t it? Even if there were a way that information could be added, this is still vacuous. It is still a null value. That is because there is no evidence presented that molecules-to-man evolution actually happened. To show that something could happen does not in any indicate that it did happen. You should be glad about this, since there are murders committed that you would have had opportunity to commit. Fortunately, you are not going to be prosecuted for them, because there is no evidence that you did commit them.