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A lesson in rhetoric
Aug. 6th, 2009 11:00 pmAfter reading this several times in many highly accredited books, I've come to an understanding that this needs to stop. Now. Ladies and gentlemen I bring you the proper meaning of "Begging the Question."
WHAT IT IS NOT!
It doesn't mean you ask a question. It's rhetoric, there is NO question. It is from the latin petitio principii which literally translates to 'beg the question'. Language has changed, and now adays beg means to ask. The correct or at least more appropriate translation should be 'laying claim to the principle'.
I'm more than happy to accept that language is constantly changing, but this is an example of logic and rhetoric that is already dying a very sad and lonely death. Oration isn't what it used to be, and we're stuck with slack mouthed reporters that don't bother to do their homework, and honestly do not care that with each misstep they're destroying aspects of the English language that were once beautiful.
English is a wonderful and unique language. It's power to change and evolve over the years is a testament to how amazing it is. But this is not something I can stand by and watch any longer.
Not when I see BTQ used in text books and managerial texts written by supposedly very intelligent people.
It's a pet peeve and it sets my teeth on edge. Feel free to blame my mother, she has a habit of nitpicking language and pronunciation since I was a child.
"Begging the question" is a form of logical fallacy in which a statement or claim is assumed to be true without evidence other than the statement or claim itself. When one begs the question, the initial assumption of a statement is treated as already proven without any logic to show why the statement is true in the first place.
A simple example would be "I think he is unattractive because he is ugly." The adjective "ugly" does not explain why the subject is "unattractive" -- they virtually amount to the same subjective meaning, and the proof is merely a restatement of the premise. The sentence has begged the question.
WHAT IT IS NOT!
It doesn't mean you ask a question. It's rhetoric, there is NO question. It is from the latin petitio principii which literally translates to 'beg the question'. Language has changed, and now adays beg means to ask. The correct or at least more appropriate translation should be 'laying claim to the principle'.
I'm more than happy to accept that language is constantly changing, but this is an example of logic and rhetoric that is already dying a very sad and lonely death. Oration isn't what it used to be, and we're stuck with slack mouthed reporters that don't bother to do their homework, and honestly do not care that with each misstep they're destroying aspects of the English language that were once beautiful.
English is a wonderful and unique language. It's power to change and evolve over the years is a testament to how amazing it is. But this is not something I can stand by and watch any longer.
Not when I see BTQ used in text books and managerial texts written by supposedly very intelligent people.
It's a pet peeve and it sets my teeth on edge. Feel free to blame my mother, she has a habit of nitpicking language and pronunciation since I was a child.
