Reply #149: "Begging the question" describes a particular logical fallacy

[moggie]

Namely, a circular argument, in which you assume the truth of your conclusion while attempting to demonstrate it. Example:

God exists!
How do you know that?
Because the bible tells us so.
How do we know that what's said in the bible is true?
Because it's the word of God!

Most people these days use the expression "to beg the question" when they mean "to raise the question", out of ignorance of its original meaning. Normally I let such usage pass without comment, but, given the nature of your post, I couldn't resist.

Language changes over time, so sooner or later this new meaning will probably be accepted as "correct" even by dictionaries. Personally, I think that would be a shame, since it wouldn't happen if people had a better grounding in recognising good and bad arguments, which would entail knowing the original meaning of this term.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8fbrUjjivw