beg the question

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hi,there is vague definition of  beg the question in my mind,ofcourse I have read its definitionin 3 dictionary,but I couldnt get the meaning and the definition went over my head,plz give me a clue...thanks alotinhttp://www.grammartips.homestead.com/begging.html

Gray Mouser · Accepted Answer

Begging the question means to assume something without adequate proof.

So if a person makes a statement that seems outrageous it begs the question of proof behind that statement.

I hope I helped in defining this phrase for you.

Vorpar · Answer

"beg the question" is a logical fallacy (a bad choice of argument)

It means that you are trying to prove something with an unproven assumption. It can also be called a circular argument.

An example from theology: "Existence is more perfect than non-existence, therefore, *** being perfect, exists"

What this means is if you are having a debate, you can't just say that existence is perfect, you have to provide proof.

CalifJim · Answer

Begging the question is a type of false reasoning in which the conclusion is assumed within the premisses.

An example (which I got from Wikipedia) is "proving" that certain actions are illegal by claiming that they have to be illegal because they are prohibited by the law:

"If such actions were not illegal, then they would not be prohibited by the law."

The conclusion is just a restatement of the premiss in different words, so no real proof exists at all. Begging the question is a type of fallacy.

Here's another:

In a Supreme Court case, it was argued that Nancy Cruzan was not capable of making her own decision regarding the continuation or termination of life support because she was incompetent.

Justice Rehnquist pointed out that, since incompetence is a matter of not being capable of making decisions, this was saying she was not capable of making her own decision because she was not capable of making her own decision!

CJ

Tidus · Answer

beg the question basically means being given information which automatically leads you to question something about it.  For example, "The boy who died today fell off the roof, which begs the question - how did he get onto the roof in the first place"?

Julielai · Answer

Tidusbeg the question basically means being given information which automatically leads you to question something about it. For example, "The boy who died today fell off the roof, which begs the question - how did he get onto the roof in the first place"?

I believe English teachers still frown on that usage.

Yankee · Answer

I don't think ESL teachers should frown too much -- this usage is also very common.

MrPedantic · Answer

I think the problem lies in "beg". The sense "to take for granted without warrant" is obsolete, except in the phrase "begging the question"; thus the misinterpretation of the latter as "crying out for another question" is now so prevalent that the correct interpretation (as provided by CJ) is unlikely to be understood by the average question-begging addressee.

Cf. "It's the exception that proves the rule", which has similarly liquefied.

MrP

CalifJim · Answer

Another soggy one: peruse.

CJ

Tidus · Answer

Certainly, in everyday English in the UK, to beg the question, will be to ask a question based on what information has just been given. Sounds like the true meaning has been lost in translation long ago.

In fact, this has got me a bit intrigued, so I've checked both Oxford and Cambridge Dictionaries. They both list "inviting an obvious question" as the primary usage of the phrase, with "accepting something as true without arguing it" as a secondary use.

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