Alas, the only winning move with "begging the question" is to not play. Insist on its proper use as a logical fallacy and you're a pedant; misuse it and draw the ire of grammarians and Aristotelians. Solution: "this raises the question."
So true. I move that the expression "beg the question" be stricken from the lexicon. If you use it right, people have no idea what you're talking about. Use it wrong, and people like me get all distracted and discombobulated. Best not to say it at all.
Yeah, I avoid it, in part because it's not even clear that the correct meaning is correct. Originally question-begging and circular reasoning were subtly different fallacies, but they're rarely distinguished anymore. If it's a case where "circular reasoning" (or perhaps "assuming the conclusion") works, those are clearer terms imo.
