Begging the QuestionBruno Aguado and John JahrlingPresident Obama likes to go golfing; therefore, all golfers are the President of the United States.Mark dropped out of high school; therefore, he is an idiot.Since Jaden Smith, a famous person, capitalizes all words in his sentences, all famous people dont know how to use the English language correctly.I am immortal because I havent died a single time in my entire life.Janice enjoys wearing running shoes, so all girls must like running.

People who drink soda lead unhealthy lifestyles.

Definition of Begging the QuestionBegging the question is assuming something to be true without proof.

Source: http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l40/bmahfood/Blog%20Photos/logic.jpg

Source: Bruno Alexander Aguado Rodriguez

Image examples for Begging the QuestionBigger is better.Source: http://johngunter.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/David-And-Goliath-69251_thumb.jpgSource: http://www.circusmaximus.us/rome-map1.jpg

Contemporary Example

Source: http://www.robertsharpassociates.com/newsletters/2010/q3/images/soccer-mom.jpgMom: Do the thing.

Offspring: Why?

Mom: Because Im your mom and I told you so.

Contemporary Culture Examples

Everybody has it; therefore everybody needs it.Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c2/F_icon.svg/2000px-F_icon.svg.png

Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/74/Twitter_Logo_Mini.svg/2000px-Twitter_Logo_Mini.svg.png

Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/28/Instagram_logo.png

Source: https://secure.assets.tumblr.com/images/logo_page/img_logo_bluebg_2x.png

Souce: http://www.quickmeme.com/img/b5/b5b751e1332e32685063387b50636502158b2157ec78f4cbf733248c79cac4ad.jpg

Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/Apple_logo_black.svg/834px-Apple_logo_black.svg.png

Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d7/Android_robot.svg/511px-Android_robot.svg.png

Significance of Begging the QuestionAlthough Begging the Question may contain tones that are highly satirical, the revealment of this tone can only be seen when slowly analyzed and given well thought. However, when the majority of people encounter an example of begging the question, they dont stop and see the workings of the fallacy. This is an advantage in a high-tensioned debate, an all-or-nothing attempt to prove your opponent wrong, or at least, throw them off track. This typically happens when one opponent is aware they are incorrect on the subject and tries to find a quick, powerful way out while confusing the opponent, making him scramble for a counter. This advantage works especially well in politics, when one opponent states a broad claim and forces the opposer to scramble for a counter-argument; because debates tend to be very tense, the opposer only has limited time to make a bold claim, or else they either take too long to find a counterexample (in a debate, this could mean a few seconds, which could be used for the claim-maker to state another claim), or go for an all-or-nothing attempt, which usually ends up in a very broad, unsupported claim, such as the simple Thats not true, or You dont know that for sure. This is the sped up version of Begging the Question. However, its brother is used in advertisement, and it goes slower and taps deeper into the mind than the debate version. To understand this, we have to go into the science of the human psyche which, in the case of Begging the Question, starts with Charles Darwins Herd Instinct. In simplest terms, Herd Instinct is when nobody in a large group, such as society as a whole, wants to be singled out or seen as different. At an evolutionary standpoint, this could mean being singled out of the herd (in this case, society), or being rejected, forcing us to fend for ourselves. To the advertising industry, this is an advantage because by simply making their product popular, they will subliminally make a person buy their product. In the case of smartphones, since everyone else has it, nobody wants to be the lone individual in their group of friends who has an Android instead of an Apple, and vice versa. Made evident by the millions of dollars Apple and Android generate, Begging the Question is an exceptionally effective logical fallacy.

Final (Legitimate) Example

Source: http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/rwbyfanon/images/7/78/Illuminati-Logo.png/revision/latest?cb=20140811072057*Note: The image was used four times, thedesign involving the images came from the brilliant mind ofBruno Alexander Aguado Rodriguez.*The Illuminati has at least one eye; therefore, everybody with at least one eye is Illuminati.