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Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 1
stranger
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OP
stranger
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 1 |
Can someone please define the term "Beg the question" and how it should be used. Thanks
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Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 9,922 Likes: 3
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 9,922 Likes: 3 |
----please, draw me a sheep----
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803 |
In common use it means something like "leaves the question unasked." There are those who insist it can only be used to mean "assumes the conclusion in a logical syllogism" but those who use it that way are far outnumbered by those who use it in the way I first defined it above. Some would say that it is a skunked expression, i.e., one that is so potentially ambiguous or likely to raise the ire of the hearer or reader that it is best not to use it at all. For the former usage just say "leaves the question unasked." For the latter use petitio principii.
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Joined: May 2010
Posts: 963
old hand
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old hand
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 963 |
I agree with the skunked diagnosis. I learned the "assumes the conclusion" meaning as a child, and have only been aware of the "common" use in the last decade or so (and I take it to mean "raises the question," or "makes it mandatory or inevitable to ask"). I get whiplash when I encounter this common use, and can no longer pay attention to what else is being said, because my brain is too busy screaming, "Wrong! Wrong!" It's not stubbornness, it's just that the other meaning is utterly ingrained. I simply avoid using the phrase. "Circular reasoning" works fairly well.
Peter
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