"absence of evidence is not evidence of absence" (antedated to 1895)

[Stephen Goranson]

The Glacialists' Magazine v. 3 pt. 3 Dec. 1895, "On the Occurrence of Scandinavian Boulders in England" by Thomas Sheppard, p. 132 :

Even if no moraine existed, it does not follow that there was no Ice-sheet: it has been remarked by Mr. Dugald Bell that "absence of evidence is not evidence of absence."

Stephen Goranson
http://www.duke.edu/~goranson

http://books.google.com/books?id=mt4PAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA132&dq=%22absence+of+evidence+is+not++evidence+of+absence%22&hl=en&ei=kGcnTMaSDYH-8Aa4wL2zDw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCkQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=%22absence%20of%20evidence%20is%20not%20%20evidence%20of%20absence%22&f=false

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