View source for Black-swan fallacy

The '''black-swan fallacy''' is an [[induction|inductive]] [[logical fallacy|fallacy]] that states that if something has not occurred within the speaker's experience, it cannot occur.  In other words, the fallacy states that just because something has always been a certain way in the speaker's experience, it is always that way as a matter of universal principle.  The example that gave its name to the fallacy is "Every swan that I have ever seen is white; therefore, there are no black swans."
==Related fallacies==
If the speaker suppresses evidence of black swans, the fallacy becomes the [[cherry picking|cherry-picking]] fallacy.  If the speaker is shown evidence of a black swan and maintains the position, the fallacy becomes the [[fallacy of invincible ignorance]] if the speaker simply ignores that evidence or the [[no true Scotsman]] fallacy if the speaker attempts to explain away that evidence. If the speaker keeps giving examples of white swans, the fallacy becomes the ''[[ad nauseam]]'' fallacy.

== See also ==

*[[Black swan]]

==References==
*[http://transylvaniandutch.blogspot.com/2009/01/black-swan-fallacy.html Black Swan Fallacy]
[[Category:Logical Fallacies]]