Well, I'd label that as "complex question."  A secondary idea is being slipped
as assumption or presupposition in under another, innocuously phrased question.

==Reinhold

"Paul E. Doniger" wrote:

> 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
> >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~