From the Latin, petitio principii: to assert the truth of an unproven premise in the conclusion of an argument. Sometimes the unproven issue follows in the form of an indirect question.
John: "Legalization should not happen, because no one in their right minds would allow that to be legal!"
If John were to say this, his argument would beg the question, namely whether legalization is justified.
By Moyna
Beg The Question
Phrase that is now used instead of "raises the question" due to the fact that the true definition is unintelligible to most people, and has little to do with an actual question.
Best not to use it at all, as you will either sound ignorant to geeks, or geeky to regular people.
Common (wrong) usage:
That really begsthe question, why did she do it?
Geek (right) usage:
I'm cooler than you, because you aren't as cool as me.
- beg the question -
