Johanna,

I vote for the first definition: Stating the speaker's/writer's opinion
(idea) - which should be open to question - as a foregone conclusion, a sort
of assumptive evasion (substituting one assumption for another in order to
avoid debating the question): for example, "How can you argue that we should
teach evolution in school? Evolution is only a theory, not a proven fact.
Therefore, it has no place in the science curriculum." The speaker/writer
asks us to assume the premise that only proven facts belong in a science
curriculum.

What do you think?

PED

"I'm sure care's an enemy to life." ... Sir Toby Belch

-----Original Message-----
From: Johanna Rubba <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Friday, October 15, 1999 8:16 PM
Subject: query: begs the question


>I'd like to survey list members on what they think the expression "that
>begs the question" means. I've been observing it used in ways I'm not
>used and wondering what the general consensus is on how the meaning of
>the phrase.
>
>I've seen it used to mean either "what you are saying doesn't directly
>answer the question that has been posed, but is a complicated
>diversionary tactic", or "some situation demands that we ask the
>question X".
>
>Which one do y'all feel is most familiar (or does it mean both)?
>
>Thanks!
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>Johanna Rubba   Assistant Professor, Linguistics
>English Department, California Polytechnic State University
>One Grand Avenue  • San Luis Obispo, CA 93407
>Tel. (805)-756-2184  •  Fax: (805)-756-6374 • Dept. Phone.  756-259
>• E-mail: [log in to unmask] •  Home page: http://www.calpoly.edu/~jrubba
>                                       **
>"Understanding is a lot like sex; it's got a practical purpose,
>but that's not why people do it normally"  -            Frank  Oppenheimer
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~