The Argument from Silence in Religio-Historical Research

Arguments from silence have a bad taste in historical research. They are seen as weak, and if discovered as part of a line of reasoning, a sign of an ill-conceived approach. Interestingly, arguments from silence are more widespread than usually admitted while at the same time little explored in historiography, philosophy and logic. The present article invites to reflect on the nature of such arguments, their heuristic and logical value, and tests them in a few cases in the history of religion.