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Philosophy vocabulary · Fallacies

Begging the question

Meaning in philosophy, with examples

phraseCommon term

In philosophy, begging the question means: A fallacy in which an argument assumes, openly or quietly, the very conclusion it is supposed to prove.

In Turkish: kanıtlanacak olanı varsayma, petitio principii, döngüsel kanıtlama

How it is used

The verb form is beg the question (the argument begs the question against the skeptic). Its Latin name is petitio principii, and it is closely related to circular reasoning.

Example sentences

  1. Defending the reliability of memory by appealing to what you remember is begging the question.

  2. Critics accuse the argument of begging the question, since its first premise already assumes that God exists.

Common collocations

  • beg the question
  • begging the question against
  • circular reasoning
  • petitio principii
  • fallacyA common error in reasoning that makes an argument look convincing even though its premises do not properly support its conclusion.
  • premiseA statement that is given as a reason in an argument and from which the conclusion is supposed to follow.
  • conclusionThe statement that an argument tries to establish, supported by the premises that lead up to it.
  • straw manA fallacy in which someone presents an opponent's view as weaker or more extreme than it really is and then attacks that easier version.

More terms: Fallacies

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