Begging the question

In logic, begging the question is the term for a type of fallacy occurring in deductive reasoning in which the proposition to be proved is assumed implicitly or explicitly in one of the premises. For an example of this, consider the following argument: "Politicians cannot be trusted. Only an untrustworthy person would run for office; the fact that politicians are untrustworthy is proof of this. Therefore politicians cannot be trusted" Such an argument is fallacious, because it relies upon its own proposition (in this case, "pol ...

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• Begging the question - History
• Begging the question - An example
• Begging the question - Variations
• Begging the question - Related Fallacies
• Begging the question - Modern Usage

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"That begs the question" is an apt reply when a circular argument is used within one Syllogism. That is, when the deduction contains a proposition that assumes the very thing the argument aims to prove; in essence, the proposition is used to prove itself, a tactic which in its simplest form is not very persuasive. For example here is an attempt to prove that Paul is telling the truth: Suppose Paul does not lie when he speaks. Paul speaks. ...

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Begging the question, Begging the question - History, Begging the question - An example, Begging the question - Variations, Begging the question - Related fallacies, Begging the question - Modern usage

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A circular definition is one that assumes a prior understanding of the term being defined. For instance, we can define "oak" as a tree which has catkins and grows from an acorn, and then define "acorn" as the nut produced by an oak tree. To someone not knowing either which trees are oaks or which nuts are acorns, the definition is fairly useless. A circular definition occurred in an early definition of the kilogram. The kilogram was originally defined as the mass of one litre of water at standard pressure and the temperature at ...

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• Circular definition - Shortest possible circular definition

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This is shorter than the example most commonly cited: Recursion See "Recursion". not just because it uses shorter words, but also because the circularity kicks in one word earlier. ...

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Circular definition, Circular definition - Shortest possible circular definition

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A circular may be: the adjective form of circle an advertisement which is circulated a Pastoral letter, Encyclic, or Papal bull that is circulated between churches a circular argument is a term for a type of logical fallacy where the very thing that is trying to be proved is assumed to be true. The historical term (due to a mistranslation) for this is Begging the question. Other related archivesBegging the question, Papal bul

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A fallacy is either an invalid argument or a specific error in some part of the argument which renders it invalid. In logic, fallacies of the latter sort are either formal or informal; because the validity of a deductive arguments depends on its form, a formal fallacy, or logical fallacy, is a deductive argument which has an invalid form, whereas an informal fallacy is any other invalid mode of reasoning ...

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• Fallacy - Verbal fallacies
• Fallacy - Logical fallacies
• Fallacy - Other systems of classification
• Fallacy - Fallacies in the media and politics
• Fallacy - General list of fallacies
• Fallacy - General examples
• Fallacy - Example 1: Material Fallacy
• Fallacy - Example 2: Verbal Fallacy
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Fallacy - Material fallacies. The classification of material fallacies widely adopted by modern logicians and based on that of Aristotle, Organon (Sophistici elenchi), is as follows: Fallacy of Accident (also called destroying the exception or a dicto simpliciter ad dictum secundum quid) meaning to argue erroneously from a general rule to a particular case, without proper regard to particular conditions which vitiate the application of the general rule; e.g. if manhood suffrage be the law, arg ...

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Fallacy, Fallacy - Aristotelian fallacies, Fallacy - Material fallacies, Fallacy - Verbal fallacies, Fallacy - Logical fallacies, Fallacy - Other systems of classification, Fallacy - Fallacies in the media and politics, Fallacy - General list of fallacies, Fallacy - General examples, Fallacy - Example 1: Material Fallacy, Fallacy - Example 2: Verbal Fallacy, Fallacy - Example 3: Verbal Fallacy, Fallacy - Example 4: Logical Fallacy

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Fallacies are used frequently by pundits in the media and politics. When one politician says to another, "You don't have the moral authority to say X", this could be an example of the argumentum ad hominem or personal attack fallacy; that is, attempting to disprove X, not by addressing validity of X but by attacking the person who asserted X. Arguably, the politician is not even attempting to make an argument against X, but is instead offering a moral rebuke against the interlocutor. For instance, if X is the assertion: The mili ...

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Fallacy, Fallacy - Aristotelian fallacies, Fallacy - Material fallacies, Fallacy - Verbal fallacies, Fallacy - Logical fallacies, Fallacy - Other systems of classification, Fallacy - Fallacies in the media and politics, Fallacy - General list of fallacies, Fallacy - General examples, Fallacy - Example 1: Material Fallacy, Fallacy - Example 2: Verbal Fallacy, Fallacy - Example 3: Verbal Fallacy, Fallacy - Example 4: Logical Fallacy

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Fallacious arguments involve not only formal logic but also causality. Others involve psychological ploys such as use of power relationships between proposer and interlocutor, appeals to patriotism and morality, appeals to ego etc., to establish necessary intermediate (explicit or implicit) premises for an argument. Indeed, fallacies very often lay in unstated assumptions or implied premises in arguments that are not always obvious at first glance. One wa ...

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Fallacy, Fallacy - Aristotelian fallacies, Fallacy - Material fallacies, Fallacy - Verbal fallacies, Fallacy - Logical fallacies, Fallacy - Other systems of classification, Fallacy - Fallacies in the media and politics, Fallacy - General list of fallacies, Fallacy - General examples, Fallacy - Example 1: Material Fallacy, Fallacy - Example 2: Verbal Fallacy, Fallacy - Example 3: Verbal Fallacy, Fallacy - Example 4: Logical Fallacy

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Begging the question is related to the Fallacy of Circular Reasoning. The distinction between the two concepts is as follows: Circular Reasoning is the basing of two conclusions each upon the other (or possibly with more intermediate steps). That is, if you follow a chain of arguments, one of the conclusions is presumed by an earlier conclusion. Begging the question can occur within one argument and consequent conclusion. In the strictest sense, Begging the question occurs if and only if the conclusion is implicitly or explicitly a component of an immediate premise. It is usually accepted, though, to use the term ...

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Begging the question, Begging the question - History, Begging the question - An example, Begging the question - Variations, Begging the question - Related fallacies, Begging the question - Modern usage

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More recently, to beg the question has been used as a synonym for "to raise the question", or to indicate that "the question really ought to be addressed". For example, "This year's budget deficit is half a trillion dollars. This begs the question: how are we ever going to balance the budget?" This usage is often sharply criticized by proponents of the traditional meaning, but has nonetheless come into sufficiently widespread use that it is now the most common use of the term. Arguments over whether the newer usage should be considered incorrect are an example of ...

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Begging the question, Begging the question - History, Begging the question - An example, Begging the question - Variations, Begging the question - Related fallacies, Begging the question - Modern usage

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The term was translated into English from the Latin in the 16th century. The Latin version, Petitio Principii (petitio: petition, request; principii, genitive of principium: beginning, basis, premise of an argument), literally means "a request for the beginning or premise." That is, the premise depends on the truth of the very matter in question. The Latin phrase comes from the Greek en archei aiteisthai in Aristotle's Prior Analytics II xvi: "Begging or assuming the point at issue consi ...

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Begging the question, Begging the question - History, Begging the question - An example, Begging the question - Variations, Begging the question - Related fallacies, Begging the question - Modern usage

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Begging the question is related to the Fallacy of Circular Reasoning. The distinction between the two concepts is as follows: Circular Reasoning is the basing of two conclusions each upon the other (or possibly with more intermediate steps). That is, if you follow a chain of arguments and conclusions (a proof or series of proofs), one of the conclusions is presumed by an earlier conclusion. Begging the question can occur within one argument and consequent conclusion. In the strictest sense, Begging the question occurs if and only if the conc ...

See also:

Begging the question, Begging the question - History, Begging the question - An example, Begging the question - Variations, Begging the question - Related Fallacies, Begging the question - Modern Usage

Read more here: » Begging the question: Encyclopedia II - Begging the question - Related Fallacies

More recently, to beg the question has been used as a synonym for "to raise the question", or to indicate that "the question really ought to be addressed". For example, "This year's budget deficit is half a trillion dollars. This begs the question: how are we ever going to balance the budget?" This usage is often sharply criticized by proponents of the traditional meaning, but has nonetheless come into sufficiently widespread use that it is now the most common use of the term. Arguments over whether the newer usage should be considered incorrect are an example of ...

See also:

Begging the question, Begging the question - History, Begging the question - An example, Begging the question - Variations, Begging the question - Related Fallacies, Begging the question - Modern Usage

Read more here: » Begging the question: Encyclopedia II - Begging the question - Modern Usage

Begging the question is related to the Fallacy of Circular Reasoning. The distinction between the two concepts is as follows: Circular Reasoning is the basing of two conclusions each upon the other (or possibly with more intermediate steps). That is, if you follow a chain of arguments, one of the conclusions is presumed by an earlier conclusion. Begging the question can occur within one argument and consequent conclusion. In the strictest sense, Begging the question occurs if and only if the conclusion is implicitly or explicitly a component of an immediate premise. It is usually accepted, though, to use the term ...

See also:

Begging the question, Begging the question - History, Begging the question - An example, Begging the question - Variations, Begging the question - Related Fallacies, Begging the question - Modern Usage

Read more here: » Begging the question: Encyclopedia II - Begging the question - Related Fallacies