Begging the question
Begging the question is an argument based on an unproven premise:
I am a vegetarian because it is immoral to eat meat. (No doubt some people feel that meat eating is immoral, and they are
entitled to that feeling, but it does not work as a logical argument because not everyone will agree with with the premise.)
Everyone should see "Gone With the Wind" because it is a great movie. (No doubt "Gone With the Wind" is a classic movie, and
many people consider it great. That does not prove, however, that everyone should see it.)
Misuse of "begging the question"
One often hears the term "begging the question" misused. As we have seen, the term refers to an arguments that is based on an
unproven premise. It does not mean "raising the question." For example, we often hear statements like the following:
People connected with the petroleum industry contributed over $100,00 for Senator Snorkle’s reelection campaign. That begs
the question of why the petroleum industry wants to see Snorkle stay in office.
No! It does not beg the question. There is no unproven premise in the statement. It raises the question, and that
is a different thing entirely.
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