Begging the question facts for kids

Begging the question is a kind of fallacy. A fallacy is a mistake in thinking or reasoning. This happens when someone tries to prove an idea, but their proof already assumes that the idea is true. It's like trying to prove something by using the thing itself as evidence!

This way of thinking is often called circular reasoning. Imagine a circle: you start at one point, go around, and end up right back where you began. In the same way, when someone "begs the question," their argument goes in a circle. They use the conclusion as part of the evidence.

What are some examples?

Let's look at some examples to understand this better.

• Imagine someone says, "Stealing is wrong because it's against the law." Then you ask, "Why is it against the law?" And they reply, "Because it's wrong!" This is begging the question. They are using the idea that stealing is wrong to prove that it's against the law, and using the idea that it's against the law to prove it's wrong. It's a circle!

• Another example: "We know God exists because we can see the perfect order of His Creation. This order shows a supernatural intelligence in its design." This argument uses the idea of God's creation to prove God exists. But for the creation to be "His," God must already exist.

How is it used today?

Sometimes, people use the phrase "this begs the question" to mean "this raises the question." For example, someone might say, "The team lost the game, which begs the question: did they practice enough?"

However, many people think this is not the correct way to use the phrase. They believe "begging the question" should only refer to the logical fallacy.

Images for kids

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  Bust of Aristotle, who wrote about this kind of fallacy a long time ago.

See also

In Spanish: Petición de principio para niños