The Celestial Teapot is a hypothetical teapot dreamed up by [Bertrand Russell]. It demonstrates the absurdity of asserting that just because a lack of [evidence] can't [disprove] the [existence] of something, it is therefore equally likely to exist.

The gist is that someone can claim there is a perfectly formed teapot orbiting the sun in [outer space], quite separate to all the teapots safely orbiting the sun from the comfort of Earth's surface. This person can fervently insist the teapot exists, although naturally it's too small to be seen with any [telescope] or analysed with any [spectroscope].

We cannot disprove the existence of things - [ghost|ghosts], [goblin|goblins] or [god|gods], for instance - just because there is a lack of evidence for their existence. The point of the teapot story is that this doesn't mean the mythical entities in question are just as likely to exist as they are to be works of fiction.

It's perfectly [rational] to suggest that a phenomenon that is very unlikely to have appeared by any [natural] means (ie, one that could only have appeared by [supernatural|supernatural] means), that no one can prove the existence of, is almost certainly [non-existent]. Therefore, the burden of proof lies upon the people claiming that it exists, not the people claiming it to be a work of fiction.

The celestial teapot is similar to the paradoxical [invisible pink unicorn], the [Flying Spaghetti Monsterism|Flying Spaghetti Monster], and the [dragon] in [Carl Sagan|Carl Sagan's] garage, the latter of which can be found in his book [The Demon-Haunted World|The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark]. I'd also recommend reading the parable of the world where all the lost [Biro|Biros] end up, from that wholly remarkable book, [The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy].

Celestial Teapot (idea)