21 February 2007

Somebody explain to me again what begging the question really means.

5 RIDERS:

At 21 February, 2007 07:33, Blogger Elisa said...

It's a rhetorical fallacy ... it means using as a foregone conclusion or assumption whatever argument you are supposedly trying to prove.

 
At 21 February, 2007 08:40, Blogger CLAY BANES said...

thanks, e.

i kind of "know" that and was hoping someone could explicate and exemplarate begging the question's correct (rare) and incorrect (all over the place, everywhere) usuage.

i'm nonplussed.

 
At 21 February, 2007 09:48, Blogger Kasey Mohammad said...

Suppose I'm arguing with you and I say "Don't you agree that hunting is evil?" and you say "No, I don't." And then I say "But since hunting is evil, shouldn't it be against the law?" I'm begging the first question. Or suppose I just skip straight to the second question without even asking the first one: that would still be begging the question.

The expression is commonly used incorrectly as a synonym for "raising (or leaving unaddressed) the (further) question," as in "Smith's analysis offers a great deal of insight on the Korean situation, but it begs the question of how futher checks on nuclear activity are to be maintained."

 
At 22 February, 2007 06:27, Blogger Elisa said...

Sorry. Example: I'm trying to convince you that God exists and tell you that he must exist because the Bible say so. You say, why should I believe the Bible? I say, the Bible is the truth! God wrote it!

That's begging the question.

 
At 22 February, 2007 10:33, Blogger CLAY BANES said...

thank you both.

 

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