I Beg to Differ

So today I'd like to address a very common error that kinda drives me up the wall: The misuse of the phrase "begs the question." Rarely do people use this phrase correctly. An example of the misuse would be, smoking cigarettes causes cancer and that begs the question: Why do people smoke cigarettes? A situation might raise or even demand that a question be asked but the phrase "begging the question" refers to something else. Begging the question is a logical fallacy where the premise and the conclusion are making the same statement. For example, one could say something like, begging the question is a fallacy because to beg the question is to make a logically improper statement. This statement says absolutely nothing because it merely restates the premise in the conclusion. Another example is, some drugs cause altered perception because they are hallucinogenic.

Another pet peeve: The misuse of "myself." People use this word incorrectly all the time and it's because either they simply have no idea what they are saying or they are trying to sound impressive and they have no idea what they are saying. "Myself" is a reflexive pronoun. If you are hitting yourself, then say, I am hitting myself. If someone is hitting you and everyone else, don't say "he hit everyone including myself," say, "he hit everyone including me." If you and your friend went for a walk, don't say he and myself went for a walk, say he and I went for a walk.

Suggestion: When in doubt, don't use "myself" or "begging the question."

I feel much better now.

~ will