“Political stability is indispensable to economic progress because economic…
2023
“Political stability is indispensable to economic progress because economic progress can only be achieved by means of political stability.” Which informal fallacy is committed in the above statement?
Answer: D. Begging the question — CONCEPTAn informal fallacy is a defect in reasoning identified from how the premises are used, not merely from the topic being discussed. Begging the question…
- A.
Slippery Slope
- B.
Red Herring
- C.
Hasty Generalisation
- D.
Begging the question
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
CONCEPT
An informal fallacy is a defect in reasoning identified from how the premises are used, not merely from the topic being discussed.
Begging the question occurs when a premise assumes or restates the conclusion instead of supplying independent support for it.
APPLICATION
The conclusion says that political stability is indispensable to economic progress.
The stated reason says that economic progress can be achieved only through political stability. This repeats the same necessity claim in different words, so it supplies no independent support.
CONTRAST
Slippery slope: predicts a chain of increasingly serious consequences from an initial step.
Red herring: diverts attention to an irrelevant issue.
Hasty generalisation: draws a broad conclusion from insufficient or unrepresentative cases.
Begging the question: uses the conclusion, restated or assumed, as its own support.
Therefore, the statement commits the informal fallacy of begging the question.