I think this article sums it up: http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/begs-the-question-update http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar

I think this article sums it up: http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/begs-the-question-update http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/begs-the-... tldr: Begs the question is a formal term for when a conclusion is not supported by given arguments. Using it the way most people do is technically incorrect, but has become common enough that it is in the gray area where one can consider it the new correct usage.