Time for my biannual semiannual regular occasional BTQ rant – BTQ being an acronym I derived from the first letter of each of the three words of the most frequently misused cliche in the English (or any other) language. This shamelessly abused chestnut is of course, Beg The Question.
Properly understood, ‘begging the question’ is a logical fallacy (also known as petitio principii, or “assuming the initial point“) wherein the proposition to be proved is assumed or contained, either implicitly or explicitly, in the original premise. To give a simple example: She is very beautiful (conclusion) because she is absolutely gorgeous (premise). Begging the question is very similar to the fallacy of circular reasoning (circulus in probando) but is not precisely the same; circular reasoning involves both the premise and the conclusion utilizing the same internal logical referent(s), whereas BTQ, in Aristotle’s words ,”is proving what is not self-evident by means of itself…either because predicates which are identical belong to the same subject, or because the same predicate belongs to subjects which are identical.”
Detection of BTQ can be tricky; as Welton notes in his A Manual of Logic, “Such fallacies may not be immediately obvious in English because the English language has so many synonyms; one way to beg the question is to make a statement first in concrete terms, then in abstract ones, or vice-versa“. Here’s another example: “Jack Daniels makes me drunk because it has an inebriating quality.”
OK – that’s how BTQ is properly used … here is how it most assuredly should not be used. It should not be used to replace the phrase “raise the question.” Ever. Period. If you want to say something like “His sneaky demeanor raises the question of what he is up to”, then say that. His sneaky manner does not “beg the question” of what his motives are. While her noticeably expanding waistline may well cause us to wonder if motherhood is in her near future, her protruding paunch never, never “begs the question” of her potentially enceinte state.
Here are several examples of the misuse of BTQ from sources that should know better, found in a hasty and utterly unscientific Yahoo search of about ten minutes duration:
“Which begs the question, was the previously reported “amount of nearly $1 million” completely true? “
“It cannot be comforting for Republicans to look out at 100,000 plus people on the Washington mall, who should all be part of their natural constituency, booing any mention of their last presidential candidate and cheering speeches that proclaim their movement is not “Republican”. This begs the question: “Why isn’t it?”"
“As if the Times needed any more blows to its allegedly still-existing journalistic integrity, this one can’t help but beg the question of who at the White House put pressure on the Times to do what it did.”
“Boldly going where no T-Shirt has gone before, this shirt begs the question, Tribbles…the other white Meat?”
“Referendum begs the question of our future in EU” (Headline!)
“This begs the question of why Terry would attack Pelosi over a measure supported by 60% of his fellow Republicans.”
“Now this is irony that begs the question, what was Mr. Peacemaker President thinking?”
The single instance I came across in which the BTQ usage was correct was from an atheist organization’s website – I disagree of course with the writer’s final position, but he/she clearly understands what the fallacy of begging the questions means … and how to use/interpret it.
“Most dictionaries use language that presupposes the existence of “God” as fact, and describes an atheist as one who denies (the presupposed fact) of God’s existence. This definition Begs the Question and is biased in favor of the theistic position.”
All of which raises the question – how about we all be a little more careful in the future with our BTQ’s?
Be well.
BO won the Nobel Peace Prize for simply writing about it, which begs the question, “If he watched a college football game would he win the Heismann Trophy?”
Am I way off base on this Unk?
Pip … you’re a … pip.
May your house be free of spiders, and may your tribe increase.
UW
Pip…
For the Heisman I believe there is a stipulation that says you have to had spent one night in a Holiday Inn Express. I believe all military personnel should receive the Medal of Honor based on their potential to have their butts shot off while performing a courageous act.
… and to get an OSCAR, an actor must have accomplished any three of the following:
1) spent at least one entire 48 hour period with your nose in Sean Penn’s armpit (left one only)
2) had your photo taken straddling a large caliber cannon (for the purposes of this exercise Michael Moore doesn’t count as a ‘large caliber cannon’) while waving the national flag of some country that is responsible for at least 50,000 American casualties
3) walked (with arms linked)at least 10 yards with either Cesar Chavez, Jesse Jackson, Cindy Sheehan or Che Guevara’s stunt double
4) been subjected to third degree whisker burns from George Clooney – in the erogenous zone of your choice
5) have temporarily adopted at least 8 third world orphans within the last two weeks (you don’t have to keep them or anything – just show up for the photo-op)
6)have at least 16 tasteless anti-Bush bumper stickers on your Rolls-Royce.
7)seen Susan Sarandon up close right after she got up in the morning, sans make-up … and survived.
Easy boys. It is too early in the year to be suffering from any seasonal disorders, but I believe you are both needing a little heat and sunshine. Then again, aren’t we all?
Holy Cow…I don’t ever want to compete for an Oscar. That’s scary stuff.