I believe in everything until it's disproved.
— John Lennon
Michael Perino claimed in February Bonne Maman's founders helped Parisian Jews survive the Holocaust by hiding them from the Nazis.
The tweet caused social mentions of Bonne Maman ("Granny's" in English) to surge.
Reporters who've fact-checked Perino have come up dry.
But Perino has defended the claim, saying, "What possible reason would this woman have to go out of her way to lie?"
The professor should know better. He's making what philosophers call the "appeal to ignorance."
The appeal to ignorance—a logical fallacy—insists a claim must be true because we don't know any facts that would make it false.
You can insist either claim is true because there are no facts that disprove the claim; but you'd be wrong from the logical point of view. And there are plenty of facts suggesting the two claims are false.
Speaking of facts, as it turns out Bonne Maman's founders (whose descendants have refused to comment) didn't live in Paris during World War II; nor are they considered "righteous gentiles" by Israel’s Holocaust Remembrance Center.
And yet people want to believe. As philosopher William James said, "your belief will help create the fact."
Above: Bonne Maman by Robert Francis James. Oil on canvas board. 8 x 10 inches.
