I'm a political conservative, but I'm a conservative when it comes to language, too. I think words and phrases have meanings, and grammar and spelling have rules, and I don't like to see those meanings and rules worn down through ignorance and laziness. (If "between she and I" ever becomes generally accepted, I'm going to spend about a week throwing rotten eggs at 13-year-old girls.)
That brings me to the phrase, "begs the question." I don't think I've ever used this phrase in normal conversation. I've heard it used a million times, though, as a way of saying, "That raises the question..." Example: "That begs the question: Ten years from now, will anyone be willing to buy U.S. debt?"
That's becoming an acceptable usage...but not in my home. In my home, if you beg the question, you engage in circular reasoning. To be more specific, you assume a point you are trying to prove...that is, you use the point as evidence in support of the case you are making on behalf of the point itself.
Here's an example (which I stole from the Web but put into my own words as an exclusive service to Planet Utah readers):
You: "I believe in the existence of God."
Me: "Why?"
You: "Because the Bible says that God exists."
Me: "But why do you believe what the Bible says?"
You: "Because it was written by God."
Me: "Okay, but that begs the question of whether God exists in the first place."
Are we clear? Good! Now get out there and beg some questions.
Footnote: One of my grad school profs thought that begging the question meant putting the question aside. So, if someone would ask a question that risked derailing the discussion, he would say, "Let's beg that question for now; we'll come back to it later."
That begs the question of how my prof got his doctorate in the first place, don't you think? (No, you don't. At least you better not.)
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