Well-read · Often misused · Arguing & persuading
Beg the question: meaning, pronunciation and examples
Beg the question phrase. To argue in a circle, assuming the very thing you are trying to prove.
How to say it
BEG thuh KWES-chun/ˌbɛɡ ðə ˈkwɛstʃ(ə)n/
4 syllables, with stress on BEG and KWES. Forms: begs the question, begged the question, begging the question.
Beg the question in a sentence
'Ghosts are real because I saw one, and I know it was a ghost because they're real' begs the question.
To call the policy fair because it is just is to beg the question: fair and just mean the same.
Similar and opposite
Similar:
- circular reasoning
- petitio principii
Careful
Most people use it to mean 'raises the question'. That sense is everywhere now and many dictionaries list it, but in logic and careful writing it still means arguing in a circle.
Where beg the question comes from
From the Latin petitio principii, a translation of Aristotle's term for assuming what you set out to prove.
Test yourself
Which word fills the gap?
To call the policy fair because it is just is to _____: fair and just mean the same.
- home in
- beg the question
- tu quoque
Show the answer
beg the question: To call the policy fair because it is just is to beg the question: fair and just mean the same.