Whenever I use "begs the question" I'm only doing it to broadcast that I'm well educated to a presumably educated observer. That I know that it means "circular

Whenever I use "begs the question" I'm only doing it to broadcast that I'm well educated to a presumably educated observer. That I know that it means "circular reasoning" is itself a form of a signal. I chose to use it over alternatives as a form of extended trust in the other party's education as well. Essentially it's a term used when having scotch with Obama's education secretary[0], not something to use over beers with the mates. The issue with re-deploying it to mean "raises the question" is that it does the opposite. It signals to those that know its true meaning that the person employing it in that way is sloppy or imprecise or even that they are willing to knowingly appear to be so in order to redefine the language to better suit their preference. This is essentially a matter of class and to any communicator that cares about how they're perceived it's important to use it correctly or to avoid it entirely. [0] I befriended him and an economist at the world bank at a cafe in DC and ended up at a scotch party. It was just as fun as you're imagining and made me want to move there. Washington is where America seems to hide their smart, empathetic people.