Pe t it i o P ri nc i p ii

(Begging the
Question)
nce
Fallacies of Irreleva
Petitio Principii

Premise in a
statement
=
? Conclusion of the
argument
1) Leaving out a
shaky key
premise

? 2) Conclusion of
the argument
restates the
original premise.

3) Conclusion is based on a chain of

inferences with the conclusion as the first
premise
Arguing in
Circles
Arguing in Circles
● Begins with an
assumption that what
you try to prove is
already true

● proposition is supported
by the premises, which
is supported by the
proposition
Examples
 “The Soul is simple because it is immortal, and it must be immortal
because it is simple.”
- Alex C. Michalos, Improving Your Reasoning

“Iraq can be subject to a suspension of law and forced to swallow the

prescriptions of the neo-liberal order, precisely because it remains outside
the protection of international law. And it remains outside the protection of
international law because it has not become fully integrated into the neo-
liberal order.”
- Fredy Cante and Hartmut Quehl, Handbook of Research on Transitional Justice and Peace Building in Turbulent
Regions
Estate of the late Juliana Diez Vda. de Gabriel, petitioner, vs. Commissioner
of Internal Revenue
G.R. No. 155541. January 27, 2004.

CIR Arguments:

(1) the demand letter and assessment notice were served on Philtrust;
(2) Philtrust was remiss in its obligation to respond to the demand letter and assessment
notice;
(3) Philtrust was remiss in its obligation to inform respondent of the decedent’s death;
Thus, (4) the assessment notice is therefore binding on the Estate.
CIR Assumption: Philtrust was the appointed administrator of the Estate of the decedent
Question
begging
language
● The fallacy of merely assuming what
one is trying to prove.

● Assumes a position of the very

question at issue.

● Assumption that an issue has already

been settled.

● The listener is subtly being “begged”

to infer a particular conclusion.
Examples
 The Logical Fallacy Gay Marriage Opponents Depend Upon
By Conor Friedersdorf
Jan. 17, 2012

Arguing against the policy, Rick Santorum, United States presidential

candidate, begs the question and willfully ignores the other side’s
argument

● “We know that some truths are bigger than the next election and should not shift
with political consultants, and among those great, enduring, and fundamental truths,
I believe , are life and marriage”

● “Marriage is, and has always been through human history, a union of a man and a
woman”

Article: The Atlantic

Carlos Gsell, plaintiff-appellant
vs.
Valeriano Veloso Yap-Jue,
defendant-appellee

G.R. No. L-1952 Dec. 6, 1906.

“The question presented by this appeal is whether or not the use of a
patented process by a third person, without license or authority
thereof, constitutes an infringement when the alleged infringer has
substituted in a lieu of some unessential part of the patented process
a well known mechanical event ”

“Appellant has merely failed to establish the facts and has merely
assumed the existence without proving the same, thus begging the
question.”
Exercise

“Scientists have discovered the reason

why plant foods offer such powerful
cancer protection. Certain substances
found only in plant foods are known
collectively as phytonutrients (phyto is a
Greek word meaning ‘plant’) have the
ability to stop cancer.”