Circular Reasoning Fallacy Examples in Media, Real Life, Politics, Movies & Ads

Circular Reasoning Fallacy

Definition Circular Reasoning Fallacy

Circular reasoning is a logical fallacy in which the conclusion of an argument is already assumed in the premises, without providing logical support for the conclusion.

It is often described as beginning with what the reasoner is trying to end up with and is similar to “begging the question.”

An example of circular reasoning is assuming that all fish are mammals, and all mammals are species, therefore, all fish are species. In this example, the conclusion is already present in the premise.

Circular Reasoning  Fallacy Examples

An example of circular reasoning is when an argument’s premises are dependent on the conclusion being true, instead of providing evidence to support the conclusion.

Circular Reasoning Fallacy Examples in Philosophy

Examples of Circular Reasoning in Philosophy: 

Examples of circular reasoning in philosophy include:

1. Arguing that all bachelors are unmarried because they are male, and all males are unmarried because they are male.
2. Stating “I am not a liar because I never lie.”
3. Saying “It is raining outside because it’s cloudy and rainy outside.”
4. Claiming “The sky is blue because the sun shines on it.”

In these examples, the conclusion is already assumed within the premise and there is no logical support for the conclusion.

Circular Reasoning Fallacy Real Life Examples

Examples of Circular Reasoning in Real Life:

Examples of circular reasoning in real life include:

1. A court case in which the jury is instructed to find the defendant guilty if they believe the defendant is guilty, even if the evidence presented is minimal.
2. Saying “I’m not going to the party because I don’t want to drink alcohol.”
3. Stating “I’m not going to the party because I don’t like drinking alcohol.”
4. Declaring “I’m not going to the party because I think it’s bad for me.”
5. Saying “I have a headache, so that means I can’t go out and drink alcohol at all today.”

In these examples, the conclusion is already assumed within the premise and there is no logical support for the conclusion.

Circular Reasoning Fallacy Examples in Media

Examples of Circular Reasoning in Media:

• 1. Arguing that the media is biased because the media says it is biased.
  2. Stating that the media is unbiased because the media says it is unbiased.
  3. Claiming that the media is unfair to conservatives because they say so themselves.

  In these examples, the conclusion is already assumed within the premise and there is no logical support for the conclusion.

Circular Reasoning Fallacy Examples in Advertising

Examples of Circular Reasoning in Advertising:

• 1. An advertisement that tells you that a product is good because of how many people use it.
  2. An advertisement by a car company that claims that their large market share means you should buy their cars.
  3. A store that states that they are the best to shop at, so you should buy from them.

  In these examples, the conclusion is already assumed within the premise and there is no logical support for the conclusion.

Circular Reasoning Fallacy Examples in Politics

Examples of circular reasoning in politics include making a claim and then using that same claim as evidence to support it. For example, a political candidate may say “Vote for me because I will reduce taxes” and then use that statement as the reason why people should vote for them.

This type of reasoning is considered fallacious because it does not provide any actual evidence to support the claim.

Circular Reasoning Fallacy Examples in Movies

Examples of Circular Reasoning in Movies:

In movies, examples of circular reasoning can be seen in the story’s premise where the main character’s actions and investigation are based on the assumption that they are guilty of a crime they are trying to solve.

For example, a detective being framed for murder, who then starts investigating to clear his name, but the investigation leads back to him as the only suspect.

This type of narrative creates a circular logic as the story’s premise and the main character’s action are based on the same assumption, that he is guilty.

Circular Reasoning Fallacy Examples in Literature

Examples of Circular Reasoning in Literature:

In literature, examples of circular reasoning can be seen in a detective protagonist solving crimes by assuming that a crime has been committed, then gathering evidence to confirm the assumption and finally using the evidence to prove that a crime was committed, thereby creating a circular logic.

The detective’s actions are based on the assumption that a crime has been committed and the evidence is used to confirm the assumption, but the assumption and the evidence are not independent of each other.

Circular Reasoning Fallacy Examples in News

Examples of Circular Reasoning in News:

In news, examples of circular reasoning can be seen when an article implies that a certain event or situation is the cause of another event or situation, but it uses the latter as evidence for the former.

For example, an article stating that the president’s approval rating is low because of poor economic performance and citing a poll showing disapproval of the president’s economic policies as evidence of the low approval rating, creating a circular reasoning by using the low approval rating as evidence of poor economic performance and the poor economic performance as the reason for the low approval rating.

This type of reasoning only confirms the assumption made in the beginning, but it is not providing any independent evidence.