Begging the question
Every week, Oliver Diaz-Neda will post a logical fallacy and an example on my wall to help you all become better debaters, persuaders and rational thinkers. What is a logical fallacy? It is defined as – a flaw in the structure of an argument which renders the argument invalid.
Today’s fallacy
Begging the question
An individual begs the questions when the premise of their claim is imbedded in the statement where the claim is made. The “evidence” for their assertion is in the assertion itself. This is also known as circular reasoning.
This style of fallacious argument is quite popular with those who have deeply held beliefs that are not predicated on factual knowledge or logical reasoning.
Example:
MariaMarriage is between one man and one women, that is the way it is supposed to be. That’s what God intended.
Danny
Marriage is a legal status with very specific legal ramifications and protections. Why should gay people be denied that if the law says we are all equals?
Maria
Because the bible says that marriage is between one man and one women and the bible is never wrong – its the word of God.
Maria clearly bases her argument on the morality of extending legal marriage protections solely on her faith, which has no bearing on the law. Her inability to justify her political claims on anything other than her interpretation of “God’s will” leads her to merit her argument on the premise of her claim – because the Bible says it, so it must be. Maria clearly lacks strong reasoning skills. Don’t be like Maria.
