Pet peeve of the day

[ouranophobe]

cantornocturnis has been attending a conference this week, and this afternoon's presentation starts off with this dude talking about some situation or other (honestly, I wasn't listening) and says, "This begs the question of...." when what he means is "This raises the question of..." and, dear readers, I know this is me being a philosophical pedant but Zoddammit, begging the question is a logical fallacy. It occurs when an argument's premises assume the truth of the conclusion, instead of supporting it. In other words, it means to assume without proof the stand/position, or a significant part of the stand, that is in question. Given that this dude is talking about establishing a formal risk appetite statement, I am D-Y-I-N-G over here.

Comments

[indywind]

"Begs the question" has got to be one of the most frequently misused/misunderstood phrases in common use. But if one doesn't know better, it sounds like it ought to mean something much closer to how it's frequently misused. This prompts (not begs) the question of how the phrase came to its meaning; it's etymology, if etymology can refer to phrases and not just single words.

Obligatory joke: people who confuse etymology and entomology bug me in ways I can't put into words.

[ouranophobe]

Now I'm wondering if there is a word for the 'etymology' of phrases. darthbiscuit, have you heard of such a thing?

Also, your ending joke there is one of cantornocturnis' favorites. Heh.

[cupcake_goth]

That is a TERRIBLE joke. Well done! :-D