What is a circular argument? Definitions, examples, and how to avoid it

Circular argument definition

A circular argument occurs when someone uses a claim to support itself. In this type of reasoning, each part of the argument depends on the other to be true, creating a loop instead of providing evidence. Hence, it forms a circle when multiple premises are all built on each other and no supporting facts are stated. The structure of this kind of argument might look something like:

• A is true because of B.
• B is true because of C.
• C is true because of A.

This formula doesn’t support its claim with logic or independent evidence and reasoning. Instead, the argument attempts to support itself, which isn’t logically sound.

Another example is saying that someone is the best choice to serve on a corporation’s board because they were elected to the board. This doesn’t give any indication as to why that person was actually elected or what made them good at their job in the first place. More substantiation is needed to support this claim and keep it from becoming a circular argument.

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How to avoid circular reasoning in your writing

When you’re writing, look at all the claims you’ve made throughout a story or essay. Make note of how you’ve supported these claims and the evidence you’ve provided. When writing an essay, ensure you can support your claims with facts cited from various scholarly sources. If there isn’t evidence to support a claim, you may need to work some into your writing. This could require research, or you might need to rephrase or rearrange sentences to ensure your points and claims are substantiated. If this cannot be done, you may need to reconsider your argument entirely.

What are different types of circular arguments?

You may run into circular reasoning in literature, politics, casual conversation, and social media comments. Circular arguments can appear just about anywhere someone is trying to make a point and often happen because people truly believe that their statement is logical.

Paradox

A paradox is often meant to be thought-provoking. It may seem to contradict itself, but it’s often a logically sound argument. The sayings “It’s the beginning of the end” and “What came first, the chicken or the egg?” are paradoxes. But saying something like, “Nobody goes to that bar anymore; it’s too busy” is an example of a circular argument formatted as a paradox.

Begging the question

This type of logical fallacy sometimes involves circular reasoning. When one is begging the question, an illogical statement is made that asserts that the first half of a claim is valid to prove that the second half of a claim is also true. Parents of younger children may employ this type of circular argument in order to get out of a conversation: “It’s time for you to go to bed because it’s your bedtime.”

Catch-22

In a catch-22 scenario, contradictory rules make it impossible to avoid negative outcomes; it feels like there’s no winning. The term comes from a novel of the same name by Joseph Heller where an individual is unable to escape from a situation because of contradictory rules.

Keeping an eye out for logical fallacies like red herrings and circular arguments will help you become a more critical thinker. This will make you a stronger reader and writer. If you’re looking for other writing tips, these writing essentials will help enhance your skills.