No. 278 · Evidence · Fallacy
Circular Argument
A claim cannot be its own proof, however smoothly it is restated.
In the Almanac
“The Hammer of Witches”, 1486 · “WeWork”, 2019
Both stories in full, three ways to use it and where it misleads.
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Questions
What is Circular Argument?
A circular argument, or begging the question, uses its conclusion as its own evidence. It can sound airtight because it's internally consistent, yet it never connects to anything outside itself.
How do you avoid Circular Argument?
To spot one, remove the conclusion and see whether any real support remains. Then look for independent evidence: what a business actually earns, what a rule actually achieves, or what your experience actually shows.
When does Circular Argument matter?
Circular Argument is one of the 68 mental models for evidence, the situations where you ask: Is this really true? Within that, it belongs to “Spotting a bad argument”, alongside Ad Hominem, Appeal to Authority and Appeal to Emotion.
What is an example of Circular Argument?
Two stories show it at work: The Hammer of Witches (1486) and WeWork (2019). Both are told in full in The Mental Models Daily Almanac, which has two stories for each of its 365 models.
Which mental models are related to Circular Argument?
Falsification, Confirmation Bias and First Principles Thinking. Circular Argument itself comes from fallacy.