An appeal to probability (or appeal to possibility, also known as possibiliter ergo probabiliter, "possibly, therefore probably") is the logical fallacy of taking something for granted because it is possibly the case. <!--Inductive arguments lack deductive validity and must therefore be asserted or denied in the premises.--> The fact that an event is possible does not imply that the event is probable, nor that the event was realized.
Example
A fallacious appeal to possibility:
:If it can happen .
:It will happen.
:Something can go wrong .
:Therefore, something will go wrong .
:
:If I do not bring my umbrella
:It will rain. .
Murphy's law is a (typically deliberate, tongue-in-cheek) invocation of the fallacy.
See also
- Slippery slope