The Jimmy Akin Podcast #011 Arguments from Silence - Jimmy Akin
Nov 26, 2024
Dive into the intriguing world of 'arguments from silence' and discover why they can be misleading. Explore key examples from history and scripture that illustrate the pitfalls of drawing conclusions from what isn't said. Understand the implications of these arguments in Protestant theology, especially concerning doctrines like sola scriptura. Analyze how silence in historical texts can affect interpretations of significant events. This discussion challenges you to rethink commonly held assumptions and seek overlooked evidence.
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Arguments from Silence Logic
- Arguments from silence are logically valid but often flawed in their premises.
- The assumption that if something were true, a source must mention it is frequently false.
Why Silence Can Be Misleading
- For a source to mention a fact, the author must know about it, want to mention it, be able to mention it, and we must have the source intact.
- Many things prevent this chain, making absence of mention unreliable evidence.
Sola Scriptura and Silence Arguments
- Protestant sola scriptura assumes scripture alone provides all needed doctrine data.
- If this assumption fails, arguments from silence on doctrinal issues lose force.