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On two occasions in the past week I have heard television newscasters use the phrase “beg the question” to mean “leads one to ask the question.” This is not the meaning of this phrase. To “beg the question” has a precise definition in logic: it means to assume in your argument that which you are trying to prove.
Examples might be more enlightening than a definition. Consider “Everything in the Christian Bible is true because the Bible tells us so.” Or “Lying is bad because one ought to tell the truth.” Or (from an August post) Coca-Cola’s proof that dining experiences are improved by ordering Coke, due to the fact that a program to increase Coke sales succeeded, and thus improved customers’ dining experiences.
I did a search and found a World Wide Words column on the topic (if you are interested in words and are not yet subscribed, you can sign up for a great email newsletter at the site.) According to Michael Quinion (the author), the problems propagated from a 1581 translation of “petitio principii” as “beg the question.” Quinion suggests that “laying claim to the principle” would have been a better translation.
If all this is confusing, I may have simply done a poor job explaining it. Read Quinion’s column and see if that elucidates things. If it is still confusing after that, you probably want to avoid using the expression. While the corrupted meaning has arguably (and, in my opinion, quite unfortunately) entered common usage, using it as such will draw the condemnation of people with logic training. To be more succinct: if you are attempting a logical argument and blatantly misuse a logic term, you have set yourself at a significant disadvantage.
If you really like the ring of “begs the question” in the incorrect usage, try saying “invites the question.” I expect that it should be comparably satisfying.
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