Appeal to faith

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An appeal to faith (or an appeal to belief) occurs when someone argues that you must first accept the truth of a statement in order to be able to rationally accept it.

The fallacy is a form of circular logic and an informal fallacy.

Form[edit]

In reaffirming believers:

P1: I have faith that X is true.
P2: (unstated) Everything I believe is true.
C: X is true.

In shutting down nonbelievers:

P1: It is impossible to determine whether X is true unless you believe that X is true.
P2: You do not believe that X is true.
C: You cannot determine whether X is true.

Explanation[edit]

See the main article on this topic: Faith

Faith, by definition, is belief that does not rest on logic or evidence. Faith depends on irrational thought.

Saying that a belief is immune to criticism from nonbelievers is special pleading and never fails, making it circular logic.

Examples[edit]

See also[edit]

Want to read this in another language?[edit]

Apelación a la fe es la versión en español de este artículo.

Si vous voulez cet article en français, il peut être trouvé à Appel à la foi.

Se você procura pelo artigo em Português, ver Apelo à fé.

External links[edit]