Circular reasoning is a form of informallogical fallacywhere the error lies in the content of the argument, rather than its form. More specifically, circular arguments are logically invalid because they offer no justification for their conclusion. Even so, circular arguments can be convincing because...
Ininformal logic,circular reasoningis anargumentthat commits the logicalfallacyof assuming what it is attempting to prove. Fallacies closely related to circular reasoning includebegging the questionandpetitio principii. "The fallacy of thepetitio principii," says Madsen Pirie, "lies in its dependence ...
Wilson argues that to understand the fallacy of begging the question better, we must widen our view of the functions of the argument from the epistemic emphasis. This epistemic approach has assumed the status of background assumption. It shows in the fallacy theory as an attitude that the prima...