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Simple English definitions for legal terms

beg the question

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A quick definition of beg the question:

Begging the question is when someone makes an argument that assumes the thing they are trying to prove is already true. This is a mistake because it doesn't actually prove anything. It's like saying "I'm the best because I'm the best." This kind of argument can be tricky because it might sound convincing, but it's not really saying anything. People sometimes use this kind of argument without realizing it, or to try to trick others into agreeing with them. The term "begs the question" comes from a famous philosopher named Aristotle.

A more thorough explanation:

Definition: Begging the question is a logical fallacy in which an argument’s premises assume the truth of the conclusion. This means that the argument is circular and does not provide any real evidence to support the conclusion. It can be looked at as a form of circular reasoning.

For example, if someone says, "I am a good person because I always do the right thing," they are begging the question. The argument assumes that the person always does the right thing, which is the conclusion they are trying to prove.

Another example is, "The Bible is true because it says it is the word of God." This argument assumes that the Bible is the word of God, which is the conclusion they are trying to prove.

Despite their nature as fallacies, arguments that beg the question can be persuasive to parties unaware of the fallacy or who already agree with the conclusion. This is because the argument may sound convincing, even though it is not based on any real evidence.

In common day-to-day speech, “begs the question” is often misused to mean “raises the question”, regardless of whether or not the question raised is an assumption of the statement that raises it.

The term “begs the question” originally comes from the works of Aristotle.

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ClassyPleasantHeron
15:11
You're welcome. I'm still surprised that they don't act sooner, though. Wish I could figure out why.
has anybody ever done a WL interview
trees1234567
15:13
@ClassyPleasantHeron: I feel like they are potentially waiting out other T-6 waitlists
trees1234567
15:14
to see if they lose any people to other similarly ranked schools
ClassyPleasantHeron
15:15
I guess? All of the T6 have a May 1st deadline, so I wouldn't expect UChicago to go last.
trees1234567
15:17
right I agree - that's the only thing I could come up with haha
ClassyPleasantHeron
15:43
Thought I just had about UChicago: I wonder if they're (relatively) stingy about financial aid, such that they end up losing deposited students during May once the aid is sorted out. They have a 5/31 deadline for loan applications, so that would jibe.
Is Northwestern really a T2 school?
trees1234567
15:45
good point heron
ClassyPleasantHeron
15:45
T2 as in Tier or as in Top?
The Law School Tiers article has them as T2
... that's cap imo but your mileage will vary
ClassyPleasantHeron
15:46
Yeah, I'd consider them in the 7-14 -- squarely in the traditional top 14, but also squarely outside of the top six.
They consider Tier 1 any T14 in the article, must be outdated.
yeah their above the law rankings are also outdated
this is the current list
ClassyPleasantHeron
15:47
I'm shocked that LSD has outdated, incorrect information. Shocked, I say!
Lol is that a common thing?
yes, very
They also have Berkeley and UCLA as T2.... lol
And Stanford!
ClassyPleasantHeron
15:49
It's a poorly edited article. They have schools in both tiers.
I take back my surprise for NU.... seems like the definition of T2 is very off lol
16:15
i thought t2 was rank 50 - 100 and below
16:15
*and below 100 was t3
ClassyPleasantHeron
16:42
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ That's the common understanding, but the half of the Two Guys in Cambridge that went to business school instead of law school believes differently.
ClassyPleasantHeron
16:43
Sorry, "two dudes."
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