It should be "these relative numbers raise the question," not beg. To "beg the question" is to commit a logical fallacy whereby one assumes the very point up for debate.

http://begthequestion.info/

Sorry, pet peeve.

My pet peeve is people who don't follow the rest of society when word use changes. I think if you look at the phrase literally it implies the new use much, much more so than its original meaning. Words and phrases are defined by how we use them and not by books. Language evolves to suit our practical needs, not to prop up scholastic definitions.

(Imagine if they came up with the term 'He ate the lunch' to mean a logical fallacy where the arguments are in the wrong order, or something. I can imagine some geek correcting people right now...)

And note that I'm typically a descriptivist, not a prescriptivist. I just want there to still be an English term for the logical fallacy petitio principii, and if we're losing "beg the question" by equating it with "raise the question," I would just like something else to use for petitio principii first. It's a useful term, and not everyone likes to use Latin.

mismos00, do you have a suggestion for how to say petitio principii in English, then?

I'm down with both Nyarpy and Mismos. Misuse of language is annoying but language police are too. My own pet peeves are people saying "chomping at the bit" when they mean "champing" and saying "prototypical" when they mean "archetypical".

But these mistakes are even more common than "begging the question" so I guess they are close to becoming new parts of the English language.

mismos00:

My pet peeve is people who don't follow the rest of society when word use changes. I think if you look at the phrase literally it implies the new use much, much more so than its original meaning. Words and phrases are defined by how we use them and not by books. Language evolves to suit our practical needs, not to prop up scholastic definitions.

(Imagine if they came up with the term 'He ate the lunch' to mean a logical fallacy where the arguments are in the wrong order, or something. I can imagine some geek correcting people right now...)

Sorry, you are wrong. The usage has not changed. One cannot excuse oneself for misuse of language with that lame excuse. 'Beg the question' has a clear meaning and it was misused. Period.

MisterPerson:

Sorry, you are wrong. The usage has not changed. One cannot excuse oneself for misuse of language with that lame excuse. 'Beg the question' has a clear meaning and it was misused. Period.

I'll grant him that many people misuse it, and as I said, I'm a descriptivist - if that's how everyone wants to use the phrase, then so be it. But, I don't think we're at that point yet. In the mean time, if I can do my small part to get people to use it correctly, then I'll be satisfied. Hence my post.

I'm with Nyarpy. I'm not a language cop, and I think it's great that language evolves over time, but it's sad when we lose the ability to use an elegant phrase to express a concept. "Beg the question" means something different than "raise the question," and the language will be poorer when we lose that.

FfAIL! Those who attempt to speak on the subject of logical fallacies should first be aware of what a logical fallacy actually is!

This is not about the language police, it's about logic. The phrase "beg the question" has a specific meaning in logic, just as 1+1=2 in math, and it describes a logical fallacy which assumes an answer that has not been agreed upon. In logic, fallacies are defined specifically to identify and distinguish intellectually dishonest arguments. To misuse a logical definition and commit a logical fallacy in the context of attempting to make a logical argument is certainly worth pointing out to a wider audience and I applaud the original poster for catching this.

But this isn't a logic class (is it?). I thought this was a causual comment forum?

Instead of saying 'Beg the question' and then having to explain to people the academic meaning why not just say... "Hey Idiot, you just implied your argument/point in your question"? But I guess then you wouldn't be able to show off your vocabulary.

"The phrase "beg the question" has a specific meaning in logic"

And in 'normal' speak, taken literally means beg ('to ask/state', Dictionary.com) 'the' question ('subject of dispute or controversy', Dictionary.com) as in when a statement brings forward an obvious question. When taken literal it makes MORE sense then the original meaning.

Since I'm not on a debate team or am a lawyer I hear this so-called improper use 10 times more often than the proper use. And the 'improper' use, as I said, is instantly understandable, whereas the proper use has to be explained to anyone who hears it for the first time.

Language does not exist in some Platonic realm somewhere...

(Read S. Pinker on language and help kill word Nazis.)

If you don't understand logic then you shouldn't try to argue about it. Any good interpersonal interaction has logic as it's basis. It's one of those things that a lot of folks absorb without even realizing it, too bad your not one of them.

I understand logic, but this is a discussion on word usage. Thanks for your attempt though...

In the larger context, this article begs the question of marijuana's harm to the individual and to society. Despite the basic assumption propagated here, there is no unambiguous evidence that marijuana is harmful to overall health.

That's the beauty of language: No such thing as a permanent rule. I used to cringe when an ex said, "Rolled hard and put away wet." Seriously? Also, my skin still crawls when I hear, "Could care less."