Russell's Teapot
An analogy to illustrate that the philosophic burden of proof lies upon a person making unfalsifiable claims, rather than shifting the burden of disproof to others.
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Origin
Devised by philosopher Bertrand Russell in a 1952 article for Illustrated magazine. Russell argued that if he claimed a tiny teapot orbited the Sun between Earth and Mars, no one could disprove it — but that didn't make belief reasonable. The analogy became a touchstone in debates about the burden of proof and unfalsifiable claims.
Updated February 22, 2026