Are you using 'begs the question' wrong? | | "Begs the question" is a common phrase to introduce a follow-up question, but it's technically incorrect. The mix-up is the result of a translation rooted in philosophy. | |  | Rachel Gresh |
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| |  | | "B egs the question" doesn't always mean what you think it does. It's often used as a synonym for "raises the question," but by formal standards, that's not quite right. Consider this example: "Another major department store is closing its doors. This begs the question: Are shopping malls going extinct?" As you can see, the phrase often introduces a follow-up question, or, as Merriam-Webster puts it, it "elicits a question logically as a reaction or response." However, this modern usage isn't historically accurate.
The phrase dates back to Aristotle's principles of formal logic. It comes from the Latin petitio principii, meaning "assuming the original point." "Begging the question" is the fallacy of assuming the conclusion is within your premises. In simpler terms, it's when your argument already assumes the very thing it's trying to prove. This results in a logically flawed circular argument. |
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Emoji Decoded | |  | | Shopping Cart | | | Meaning: Depicts a metal shopping cart with wheels, like those found in a grocery or department store.
Evolution: The Shopping Cart emoji 🛒 is about making purchases, whether for groceries or holiday gifts. While it looks like the kind of cart you'd push around in a grocery store, it can also refer to an online shopping cart. For fancier shopping trips, the Shopping Bags emoji 🛍️ suggests retail therapy and boutique purchases over everyday errands.
Usage: [Text to roommate:] Heading to the store to pick up eggs and milk before the storm. Text me if you think of anything else we need! 🛒 |
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| | Shopping Cart | | | Meaning: Depicts a metal shopping cart with wheels, like those found in a grocery or department store.
Evolution: The Shopping Cart emoji 🛒 is about making purchases, whether for groceries or holiday gifts. While it looks like the kind of cart you'd push around in a grocery store, it can also refer to an online shopping cart. For fancier shopping trips, the Shopping Bags emoji 🛍️ suggests retail therapy and boutique purchases over everyday errands.
Usage: [Text to roommate:] Heading to the store to pick up eggs and milk before the storm. Text me if you think of anything else we need! 🛒 |
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Have you read? | |  | | Last Christmas in Paris | | | | In 1914, Evie Elliott looks on hopelessly, desperate to do more, as her brother and male compatriots go to war. Her correspondence with her soldier friend Thomas Harding is one of her sole comforts during a difficult time. In the love letters that span from 1914 to 1918, they promise each other they will spend Christmas in Paris. Decades later, Thomas fulfills the promise — but that's far from the end of the story. | | | | Julia Rittenberg, Word Smarts Writer | | | | We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. |
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| | Last Christmas in Paris | | | | In 1914, Evie Elliott looks on hopelessly, desperate to do more, as her brother and male compatriots go to war. Her correspondence with her soldier friend Thomas Harding is one of her sole comforts during a difficult time. In the love letters that span from 1914 to 1918, they promise each other they will spend Christmas in Paris. Decades later, Thomas fulfills the promise — but that's far from the end of the story. | | | | Julia Rittenberg, Word Smarts Writer | | | | We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. |
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You might also like | |  | | | | Why Do We Say 'Eleven' — Not 'Oneteen'? | | To quote the great Nigel Tufnel from the movie "This Is Spinal Tap," "These go to eleven." But what if those amps went to "oneteen" instead? Here's a look at why we say "eleven" instead of "oneteen." |
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