On Mon, 15 Sep 2003 18:22:36 +0100, Alan Lothian
wrote:

In article , Leslie Swartz
wrote:

"Absence of Evidence" = "Evidence of Absence?"

Since when?

Since the beginnings of logical thought. One reason why I am reasonably
certain there are no fairies at the bottom of my garden is the utter
absence of evidence for their presence. Which I take, pro tem, as
"evidence of absence". Not *proof* of absence, mind you, but it will do
for the moment. Carl Sagan should never have come out with that one.

For thousands of years there was no evidence (that could be observed)
for the existence of molecules, atoms, neutrinos,etc. That was not
very good "evidence of absence".

Al Minyard