petitio principii
- noun
- /pəˈtɪʃioʊ prɪnˈsɪpiˌaɪ/
- Formal
:
petición de principio
- Many students struggle to identify petitio principii in debates.
Examples
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This is a clear example of petitio principii.
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Many circular arguments are examples of petitio principii in logical reasoning.
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It's important in debate to avoid petitio principii, as it undermines the soundness of your position.
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The philosopher accused his opponent of petitio principii for building the conclusion into the premise.
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In his argument, he committed a petitio principii by assuming his conclusion was true without providing evidence.
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The professor warned that the essay is problematic because it relies on petitio principii to support its claims.
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To avoid a petitio principii, ensure your premises do not assume the truth of your conclusion.
Synonyms
1
9.9
Making an argument that already assumes the answer
An error in reasoning that assumes the conclusion is already true
How Circular
Surface Forms
Morphology
petitio + principii
This is a borrowed Latin technical term whose components ('petitio', 'principii') are not recognisable everyday English words and do not transparently combine to the meaning 'begging the question.' As an established academic/legal idiom whose sense is lexicalized and unpredictable for a B1 learner without prior exposure, it should be treated as opaque.
Etymology
The Latin phrase petitio principii literally links petitio 'a request' and principii 'the first point'. Imagine someone trying to prove a fact by first asking for that same fact—like walking in a circle—so the argument uses its own answer as its reason instead of giving new facts. That's why petitio principii means 'begging the question' or 'a circular argument'.