I beg to differ, but...

By Wreybies · Aug 24, 2017 · 935 · 18
  1. Begs the question has nothing to do with causing a question to arise in one's mind. It refers instead to a logical fallacy wherein the desired conclusion is assumed as correct in the original argument or question, usually in a hidden or disingenuous fashion.
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  1. Simpson17866
    Which begs the question of where the misconception "The phrase 'begs the question' means 'raises the question'" comes from.
    Simpson17866, Aug 24, 2017
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  2. jannert
    That's a phrase I never (dare) use around here, because my husband (ex-journalist) goes ballistic if it's used incorrectly. Which it nearly always is. However, I find myself unable to think of how to use the phrase correctly. I understand what it means, but at the same time, I wouldn't know how to use it correctly in a sentence. Can you give an example?
    jannert, Aug 24, 2017
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  3. Wreybies
    "Paranormal activity is real because I have experienced what can only be described as paranormal activity."
    Wreybies, Aug 24, 2017
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  4. jannert
    No, that's an example of begging the question. I meant how would you use the phrase 'beg the question' in a sentence? Would it just be to accuse somebody of doing it?
    jannert, Aug 24, 2017
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  5. Wreybies
    Ah, understood. Were someone to say to me the prior example I gave, my response would be:

    "Nope, that's broken logic. You're begging the question."

    "I'm... what?"

    "You're begging the question because you're assuming the only possible answer is the one you've already assumed."
    Wreybies, Aug 24, 2017
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  6. jannert
    Thanks. Now I'll have to find somebody who's begging a question and tell them so!
    jannert, Aug 24, 2017
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  7. minstrel
    "God is real because it says so in the Bible and the Bible is the revealed word of God, and is therefore true."

    That is the beggest of all questions. ;)
    minstrel, Aug 24, 2017
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  8. big soft moose
    petitio principii
    big soft moose, Aug 24, 2017
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  9. Xboxlover
    This is completely off topic. I was reading this and I love your writing style wreybies!
    Xboxlover, Aug 24, 2017
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  10. Mumble Bee
    If everyone is giving their all to win this war, it really begs the question. How are you getting so rich?

    Begging your pardon, but is that in the correct format?
    Mumble Bee, Aug 24, 2017
  11. Tenderiser
    Isn't this one of those language-evolution things where we have to let go? Accept that the mistake is now so common that, for all intensive purposes*, it's the correct usage?

    *I did that on purpose
    Tenderiser, Aug 25, 2017
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  12. jannert
    It's also one of those phrases that doesn't actually make sense, as it's correctly used. "Begging a question" implies that there is another question that needs to be answered, as a result of what has just been said. I think that's why people use it wrongly.
    jannert, Aug 25, 2017
  13. jannert
    Yep, this is a hopeless cause. This from a post on Facebook today: "A wee shot from aboard the Waverley. The guy to the left of frame was a German student named Peter, living in Gourock at the time. He was carrying a Nikon F100 film camera . much to my surprise, he'd never used a digital one before. So, begs the question - Are any of you folks still shooting film?"
    jannert, Aug 25, 2017
  14. Wreybies
    We pick our linguistic battles, I guess. I know I've used "begs the question" in its more pedestrian form as much as anyone, but misuse alone is not enough for me to give up on a bit of syntax. The number of times I've seen had ran, had ate, had wrote - and this not just in random casual posts or tweets, but in articles that look to have been paying jobs - is without count. Those I simply will not suffer.
    Wreybies, Aug 25, 2017
  15. big soft moose
    Thing is it originated from a mistranslation of petitio principii anyway (in the 16th century), the correct translation would be 'assuming the initial point' . So if its original form was a misuse, its probably not worth getting excited about a misuse of a misuse
    big soft moose, Aug 25, 2017
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