Presupposition

Presupposition is not directly related to Presuppositionalism, which is a religious belief, although presuppositionalist beliefs are certainly full of presupposition.

Cogito ergo sum Logic and rhetoric

Key articles

Logical fallacy Syllogism Argument

General logic

Appeal to consequences Appeal to faith Creationist escape hatch Genuine but insignificant cause Lying by omission Weasel word

Bad logic

Certum est quia impossibile est Masked man fallacy Moralistic fallacy On the spot fallacy Post hoc, ergo propter hoc (español) Weasel word v - t - e

A presupposition is a linguistic term for an implicit assumption in a phrase, usually a claim or a question.

Presuppositions can be used in a fallacious manner by playing on these assumptions, e.g., by asking a loaded yes-or-no question that will implicate the speaker in something disagreeable no matter which way he answers.

The appropriate answer to a question based upon a false presupposition is "mu".[1]

Examples

• Phrase: "Have you stopped beating your wife?"
• Presupposition: 1) You, at some point, have at least one wife. 2) At some point you have beaten your wife (regardless whether that is the same wife as the first presupposition).

• Phrase: "I have quit smoking."
• Presupposition: I used to smoke.

And from Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll:

"How am I to get in?" asked Alice again, in a louder tone.

"Are you to get in at all?" said the Footman. "That's the first question, you know."

No direct relation to

• Presuppositionalism

See also

• Begging the question
• Loaded language
• Loaded question

References

1. See the Wikipedia article on Mu (negative).