What it is
Requiring the other side to disprove a claim that was asserted without support.
In the wild
Prove my claim is wrong, otherwise accept it.
How to answer it
Restate that the burden sits with whoever makes the claim.
Burden and ignorance
Shifting the burden of proof
Also called Onus probandi reversal
In depth
Origin and naming
The legal tradition states the rule as 'onus probandi incumbit ei qui agit' — the burden of proof lies with the one who asserts, not the one who denies. Reversing that rule is a special case of the appeal to ignorance. Hitchens's razor gives the terse answer: what is asserted without evidence may be dismissed without evidence.
More places it shows up
I say their candidate is corrupt. Can you prove otherwise? No? Then it's settled.
Our competitor's code is definitely stolen from ours — if not, let them open their repositories and prove it.
You've knocked on this door every week asking for rent evidence. Prove that I didn't already pay.
The new allergen-free formula is dangerous until its makers prove it isn't.
How to spot it
- Notice when 'prove me wrong' arrives before any positive case is made.
- Notice when answering the challenge would require you to falsify a claim you never agreed to.
- Notice when the debate ends the moment you refuse to play defense.