Fallacy · Rigging the question
Begging the question
Also called: Circular reasoning, petitio principii
Using the conclusion, in other words, as one of the reasons for it.
What it is
An argument is supposed to move from things we accept to something we did not yet accept. A circular argument assumes the very thing it sets out to prove, so it can only persuade someone who already agrees. (In everyday speech “begs the question” often means “raises the question”; this is the older, logical sense.)
An example
“This news site is trustworthy because it says it only reports the truth.” The claim relies on trusting the site, which is what was in doubt.
How to spot it
Ask: would this reason convince someone who doubts the conclusion? If not, it may be the conclusion in disguise.
How to answer it
“That reason only works if I already accept what you’re trying to show. Is there independent support?”
When it is not a fallacy
Some starting points need no argument: a definition, or what both sides already accept. Naming a premise as shared ground is fair; smuggling the conclusion in as one is not.
Printable sheet of all fallacies
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Quest2Reason. “Begging the question.” https://quest2reason.com/learn/ideas/fallacies/begging-the-question. Accessed 13 November 2026.