Family & Relationships3 mins ago
begging the question
9 Answers
can anyone give a simple explanation of the phrase "to beg the question"?
Answers
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A simple explanation:
Using an argument that is only valid if what you are trying to prove is true.
An example:
Person A "There is nothing wrong with corporal punishment, because I received it as a child and it had no adverse effect on me"
Person B "It DID have an adverse effect, because it made you think that there is nothing wrong with corporal punishment"
Person B is trying to PROVE that corporal punishment is wrong by using an argument that is ONLY VALID IF corporal punishment is wrong!
I make no comment on the rights and wrongs of corporal punishment, but in the example, Person B is begging the question.
Using an argument that is only valid if what you are trying to prove is true.
An example:
Person A "There is nothing wrong with corporal punishment, because I received it as a child and it had no adverse effect on me"
Person B "It DID have an adverse effect, because it made you think that there is nothing wrong with corporal punishment"
Person B is trying to PROVE that corporal punishment is wrong by using an argument that is ONLY VALID IF corporal punishment is wrong!
I make no comment on the rights and wrongs of corporal punishment, but in the example, Person B is begging the question.