question about the phrase "it begs the question."?

Question

Some say "it begs the question" means that the question is posed and should be answered. For example - "It begs the question - what will Democrats do now that they're in power?"

But I've heard others say that this is a common misinterpretation of the phrase, and what it really means is you're "begging off" or hoping to avoid answering the question. Which is correct?

Answer 1

I'll add my two cents, though they do not differ. I just think, no offense to my fellow answerers, that they were not clear.
Yes, two meanings:
One: you have said a statement which provokes the person you are talking to to ask you a real question, an inevitable consequence of your statement. For example, you say that you have a headache when you had made plans tonight with the person you are talking to, you're begging the question, "are you canceling?"
Two, it begs the question means that your statement is an answer itself to an inherent question, which you have not formulated. This is the more "proper" way to use "beg the question." In the previous example, you might say, "I am getting a headache, too much going on today," and the question begged, which is inherent, which you are thinking but not articulating is "can we cancel?"
Not only is there a difference in where the question lies, but who is really asking.

Answer 2

I think that the first respondent is correct. As many things, I believe that the phrase "it begs the question" is a dichotomy- meaning, it has two different meanings. One meaning is its use as a Rhetorical device, and the other meaning is basically a literal meaning, in that to "beg the question" is sort of like saying the same thing as "it calls into question".

Ergo, I think that both of these interpretations are valid.

Answer 3

" That begs the question" is often misused to mean " That raises the question." To beg the question in fact means to phrase a question in such a way that the answer is in the question. It is an error in logic which renders the question meaningless.

Answer 4

begging the question is one of the fallacies in logic. It's like circular reasoning, only that begging the question is the informal fallacy and circular is the formal one.

in common usage, begging the question means a question naturally follows a certain statement.