Begging the Question...

By: Michaela Western and Ram Goli

Huh?
Begging the question can be associated with assuming something to be true that really needs proof. Politicians often use this logical fallacy to persuade and use the power of assumption to get

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Where can you see begging the question in society today?

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Dangers of Wireless Router Radiation

Wi-fi is killing our brains!

Picture Credit: Michaela Western Picture Credit: Kid www.flickr.com Speech bubble wikimedia.com

Is this chocolate fair trade?

My chocolate isnt free trade, so it must be made by slave labor!

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How does this relate?

Frequently, society rushes into a hasty conclusion, without taking into account all the contributing perspectives and factors that might alter their point of view. People who do so are begging the question, assuming something to be true, without gathering enough evidence. Words can wreak havoc, and when those words come from an educated ear to an uneducated one, they can terrify the naive. When the Casa Grande administration received an email from an anonymous John Doe ranting about how the schools wireless routers are damaging the students brains, many peoples responses would be to panic. However, the administration did no such thing, and did their own research. Does theory is not yet proven or disproven; controversy stands on the topic His email is an example of begging the question; an all too common device that is used by all manner of people, including politicians looking to persuade, or people like the WiFi John Doe, looking to scare. Without research into the federal guidelines surrounding wireless routers and their electromagnetic energy, as well as the schools statistics on its WiFi usage, anyone could have easily taken his unreliable information and ran amok with it, spreading unnecessary fear and panic. In addition, Fair Trade chocolate has recently become an issue of much concern. Signing up with the Fair Trade USA organization ensures that cocoa used in the production process is not farmed by an unpaid child laborer, and a Fair Trade logo is printed on the chocolate wrapping. If someone doesn't see the trademark logo on their bar of chocolate, they might assume that their chocolate resulted from slave and child labor, and refuse to purchase it again. However, the process of certifying ones chocolate with Fair Trade can be tedious and expensive. The process might prevent local chocolate manufacturers from paying to have their chocolate licensed, even if the labor involved was humane. Chocolate lovers can make the wrong assumption without confirming the origins of the mouth-watering bar they yearn to buy. Assumptions of the unknown can destroy reputations and businesses, and opportunities can suddenly close their doors. These rushed conclusions give root to problems that arise in society today; if a few seconds of logical thinking preceded the assumptions, we would find ourselves in a place surrounded by less corruption and dishonesty.

Works Cited
"Cocoa." Fair Trade USA. Fair Trade USA, 2010. Web. 20 Feb. 2014. Jones, Jack, and Alex Figeuiredo. "Wi-fi Whistleblower Attempts to Raise Public Awareness."The Gaucho Gazette [Petaluma] 12 Feb.

2014, 14.5th ed., News sec.: 1+. Print.