Apparently people from all different countries are e-mailing Saddam Hussein with advice on how to beat America in a war.
Really? That's pretty shitty.
Well, that begs the question - suppose being a dictator gets your a decent spam filter? Does his family send him stupid chain e-mails?
Maybe if he falls for enough penis enlargement ads, we can drain their economy.
I'd like to tell you about my pet. He's a peeve named "beg."
I most often see the term "begging the question" used in the manner above, where it's used to mean "forcing the question" or "implying the question." In fact, "begging the question" has nothing to do with that. To "beg" the question means to avoid the question, and is an oft-used logical fallacy. For example:
[u]Begging the Question[/u]
Politician A: How do you explain your missing campaign funds?
Politician B: Who are you to be talking about missing campaign funds?
[u]NOT Begging the Question[/u]
Politician A: I like to rape ferrets.
Politician B: How is that physically possible?
I hope this has cleared some things up for y'all.
Oh, I'm glad you found this site, too; your comics are decent.
Apparently people from all different countries are e-mailing Saddam Hussein with advice on how to beat America in a war.
Really? That's pretty shitty.
Well, that begs the question - suppose being a dictator gets your a decent spam filter? Does his family send him stupid chain e-mails?
Maybe if he falls for enough penis enlargement ads, we can drain their economy.
[u]Begging the Question[/u]
Politician A: How do you explain your missing campaign funds?
Politician B: Who are you to be talking about missing campaign funds?
Sounds kinda "tu quoque" to me.
Begging the question is to assume what you claim to be proving, e.g., "People throughout the ages have experienced God. Therefore, God exists." The arguer assumes that what people experienced was God, which assumes the conclusion: that God exists. It's not too persuasive. The arguer should provide support for his claim that what people experienced was actually God, and not (for example) mercury poisoning or dementia praecox.