In the realm of logical fallacies, “circular reasoning” occupies a prominent position, often referred to as “begging the question.” This fallacy occurs when an argument relies on a premise that assumes the truth of the conclusion it seeks to prove. Essentially, the argument moves in a circle, failing to provide genuine support for its claim.
Consider the following example: “Smoking is harmful because it causes lung cancer.” Upon closer examination, we realize that the premise (“Smoking causes lung cancer”) already assumes the very conclusion the argument aims to establish. It fails to provide any independent evidence linking smoking to lung cancer, rendering the argument circular and logically flawed.
