Steelman
Begging the question
Also called petitio principii, circular reasoning, circular argument, circulus in probando.
Assuming what you’re trying to prove.
What it is
Offering an argument whose premises already assume, often in different words, the very conclusion they are supposed to support, so the argument makes no progress.
The pattern
X is true because X (restated) is true. Or: A because B, and B because A.
An example
“This news site is trustworthy. It says so right on its About page: it only publishes reliable information.”
The site’s claim about itself is only believable if the site is already trustworthy, which is the point in question.
Why it fails
The argument can even be valid (if the premise is true, so is the conclusion), but it gives no independent reason to believe either one. Anyone who doubts the conclusion has exactly the same reason to doubt the premise.
When it’s not a fallacy
Most lists skip this part. Calling a fair point a fallacy is a mistake too.
It can be fair when
- Stating a definition or a tautology that isn’t meant to persuade anyone of anything new.
- Large webs of mutually supporting evidence, such as a dictionary’s definitions or a well-tested scientific theory, aren’t viciously circular.
- Note on usage: in everyday speech “that begs the question” often means “that raises the question”. That’s a common idiom, but in logic the phrase means circular reasoning.
Try one
A question from the app. The wrong answers are its usual look-alikes.
Barbershop. Dre: “LeBron’s the greatest player ever. It’s not close.” Sal: “Jordan went 6–0 in the Finals. LeBron went 4–6.” Dre: “Finals records don’t settle it. They make Jordan look better, and nobody looks better than the greatest player ever.”
What’s the flaw?
Dre throws out the Finals record because it favors Jordan, and his only reason is that LeBron is the greatest. That’s the very thing he’s trying to prove.
A fair reply
“You can’t rule out the stat by assuming LeBron already won. What else puts him ahead?”
Often confused with
- Loaded question
A loaded question builds a disputed assumption into a question. Begging the question builds it into an argument’s premises.
Where the name comes from
Petitio principii is Latin for “asking for the starting point”: asking the other side to grant the very thing in dispute. Begging the question is an old English rendering, where “beg” means “ask for” and “the question” is the point being argued. Circulus in probando means “a circle in proving”. Circular reasoning, or a circular argument, ends right where it started.
Aristotle listed “begging the question” (asking the opponent to grant the original point at issue) among his thirteen fallacies in Sophistical Refutations. “Petitio principii” is the medieval Latin rendering.
Sources
In the app
Practice spotting it on arguments that sound real.
Steelman has more examples of begging the question, how to answer it in a real conversation, and practice rounds that mix it with its look-alikes, so you learn the difference, not just the name. Coming soon to iPhone and Android.
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