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The phrase “beg the question” has two meanings: the original one implies that asking a question presupposes the answer to another question, while the secondary one describes a situation that requires a specific question to be asked. The technique of asking the question is often used by salespeople, but it can also lead to distrust. The phrase can be used to give a question an air of seriousness or urgency.
The phrase “asking the question” can be used to mean two very different things. In its original usage, it implied that asking the question implied or presupposed the answer to another question. “Beg the question” is also used to describe a situation or circumstance that requires a specific question to be asked.
Aristotle’s writings on logic appear to be the origins of the first meaning of the phrase. In the English translation of his works, “beg the question” was used to refer to a corollary question which presupposes the answer to the first question. Specifically, it means that the asker assumes that he knows the correct answer to the initial unasked question. An example of a situation that might raise the question would be a man asking a woman when she can pick her up on a date without her first asking if she’s going on a date with him. The question about the time assumes that if she had asked her out on a date, the answer would have been yes and that, therefore, she can jump right in to asking about the time.
Asking the question is a technique often employed by salespeople attempting to convert a prospect into a customer. For example, a clerk in a store might ask a customer if he wants the blue sweater or the green sweater. The clerk is implying that the decision to buy a sweater has been made and that the customer now simply has to decide which one he wants. When this technique works, it works well. When that doesn’t work, however, the customer is likely to become distrustful of the salesperson, a situation that could result in them losing the sale.
In the early 1990s the phrase “beg the question” took on a secondary meaning. It began to be used to describe a circumstance that forces one to ask a specific question. For example, if someone claims their car exploded, it would be nearly impossible not to ask how it happened.
This usage can be used to give a question an air of seriousness or urgency. For example, when faced with a heinous crime, an impassioned editorial might say that the crime begs the question of how it could have happened. In some cases, the phrase may simply be substituted for the phrase “asks the question,” usually to imply a greater level of seriousness or desperation.
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