Escape Clause

In debates over logic, the informal term escape clause is sometimes used to describe an argument that defends a particular proposition. Specifically, an escape clause is a back-up defence that can always be used when all other arguments have failed. This means the proposition can never be disproved because the escape clause can always be invoked as a last resort.

For example, it is a fact that scientific tests have never been able to reliably document genuine psychic ability. Psychics often respond by claiming that psychic ability cannot be tested using traditional scientific methods. This is a very simple escape clause that protects against any scientific study at all.

In religion, the most common escape clause is "Don't question God", or some variation such as "Have faith in God's wisdom". When faced with challenges about why God behaves in a certain way (allowing suffering, showing bias, etc), a religious person can always fall back on their faith that God's actions only appear unfair, when in fact we should trust in a greater purpose we don't understand. Again, this escape clause covers any and all arguments against God's actions.

An escape clause argument may or may not be "true", but in either case it is not considered to be a convincing argument. Because an escape clause cannot be proven false even if it is false, there is no way to prove it is true.