10 Circular Reasoning Fallacy Examples

What are quick circular reasoning examples, circular reasoning in politics, and why is circular reasoning considered an informal fallacy?

Circular reasoning (Latin: Circulus in Demonstrando) normally occurs when you have a situation where the end of an argument circles back to the beginning and does not prove itself.

It’s a form of reasoning that is considered an informal fallacy, instead of a formal logical fallacy as it follows a pattern of argument.

Circular argument as the name implies is logically circular. It’s a type of reasoning that forms a circle whereby questioning one premise or conclusion results in stating another premise or conclusion.

For examples;

Premise One- Statement A is true because of B.
Premise Two- Statement B is true because of C.
Premise Three- Statement C is true because of A.

Examples of Circular Arguments

Circular reasoning (circular questioning or circular hypothesis) can be identified easily because both sides of the argument are just making the same point.

For example;

McGregor’s new book is well written because McGregor is an excellent writer.
Regina is loved by all, because she is very popular.
The United States of America is the best place to live because it’s better than most countries.
You have no option but to obey the law because it’s illegal to break the law.
Books are very essential to help you develop your reading skills and the only way to learn is by reading more books.
You should eat about 2 to 5 cups of fruits and vegetables each day to stay healthy. In this 21^st century, we live a sedentary lifestyle from our jobs to how we get around places, so being healthy is very important.
Everyone forgets how dangerous driving is. Because we are doing it every day, we sometimes forget how dangerous it can be.
As of August 2022, a large area the size of Puerto Rico was cut down in the Amazon Rainforest. In this situation, the rate of deforestation is much higher compared to the record from previous years.
Entrepreneurs and small businesses are only what will make the economy flourish and grow.
Horses were domesticated more than six thousand years ago by humans. From that period, horses have been used for sports, leisure, labour, etc.
The two great Pacific garbage patches cover a large area of the world’s largest ocean. It spans from North America all the way to Japan. Plastic bottled water remains a significant reason for this environmental pollution. It largely contributes to the amount of pollution in these patches.
Entrepreneurs and small businesses will only make the economy flourish and grow. The employment and stimulation they provide are essential and invaluable.

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Circular Reasoning in Politics

Generally, politicians are good at rhetoric. However, politicians can sometimes damage their arguments with circular reasoning. A political example involves explaining why a policy should not be made legal because it’s not validated by the law to become legal.

Another example may be that elected officials should be respected by others because of their newly acquired status.

The modern use of circular reasoning depends on a listener’s belief about fake news and to agree that there is no such thing as ‘negative press coverage’. The politician will use the negative press coverage as evidence that fake news exists and it gives false and inaccurate reports.

Circular Arguments and Paradoxes

Most of us can agree that the most popular literary example of circular reasoning leading to a paradox is “What Came First, the Chicken or the Egg?”

These questions create a debate for readers.

The chicken comes from an egg
But, it’s impossible for an egg to exist without the chicken laying it
But, the chicken must come from an egg

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Circular Reasoning Fallacy Examples Explained

Let’s explain some circular reasoning fallacy examples.

The Amazon Rainforest

Argument- As of August 2022, a large area the size of Puerto Rico was destroyed in the Amazon Rainforest. In this situation, the rate of deforestation is much higher compared to the record from previous years.

The rate of deforestation is so high that an area that is the size of an entire country has been cut down in the Amazon.

The sentences above demonstrate how a large part of the Amazon Rainforest has been destroyed and how serious the situation is.

However, the third sentence doesn’t explain or justify why the rate of deforestation is so high. It restates the first sentence without providing statistics on the rate of deforestation in the Amazon rainforest.

An area the size of an entire country was cut down in the Amazon. The statistics of the rate of deforestation and the size of the area destroyed in the Amazon seem to give the argument validity.

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Horses and Human

Horses were domesticated more than six thousand years ago by humans. From that period, horses have been used for sports, leisure, labour, etc.

We can logically say that horses have been around us for a very long time.

The above example about the domestication of horses makes the argument circular. The argument is circular because the first premise and the conclusion are logically making the claim.

Premise two, sentence two in no way gives us any reason to believe the first premise or the conclusion, which means the first premise and the conclusion creates a logical circle.

However, what we need is a reliable source of evidence to back up the logical conclusion that horses were domesticated over six thousand years ago.

The Great Garbage Patch

Argument- The two great Pacific garbage patches cover a large area of the world’s largest ocean.

It spans from North America all the way to Japan. Plastic bottled water remains a major reason for this environmental pollution.

It largely contributes to the amount of pollution in these patches.

Bottled water largely contributes to the pollution in the great Pacific garbage patch.

This is a fact because there is a large amount of bottled water in the great Pacific garbage patch.

Looking at the example above regarding the great Pacific garbage patches, the argument here is just a fallacy of circular reasoning.

This is because the second and the third sentence are stating the same thing, which is bottled water is a major contributor to the great Pacific garbage patches.

If we are looking at the evidence presented, there is no valid information to back up the claim that bottled water makes up the largest portion of polluting the great Pacific garbage patches.

We need to verify the argument and get valid information explaining how we know, rather than we know for a reason for the second premise.

Also Read: 50 Open-Ended Questions Examples

Economics

Argument- Entrepreneurs and small businesses will only make the economy flourish and grow.

The employment and stimulation they provide are essential and invaluable.

Entrepreneurs and small businesses excel because of this employment and stimulation.

Premise One- small business must exist for an economy to work properly.

Premise Two- small businesses provide employment for people, contribute, and build an economy.

Premise Three- for a small business to function, there must be an active ad functional economy.

The argument above discussing how important small businesses are in an economy is guilty of circular reasoning because it claims that the economy needs small businesses and entrepreneurs. It also claims that small businesses and entrepreneurs need an active and working economy.

Although the relationship may exist here, consulting an economist to get more explanation about this will provide a better understanding.

Conclusion

Circular reasoning (circular questioning or circular hypothesis) can be identified easily because both sides of the argument are just making the same point.

Recommendations

References

YourDictionary.com: Circular Reasoning Fallacy Examples
HelpfulProfessor: 10 Circular Reasoning Fallacy Examples
K Wilson – Metaphilosophy, 1988 JSTOR: Circular arguments
DN Walton -American Philosophical Quarterly, 1985: Are circular arguments necessarily vicious?
LJ Rips – Cognitive science, 2002: Circular reasoning
D Park, F Bahrudin, J Han – International Journal of …, 2020: Circular reasoning for the evolution of research through a strategic construction of research methodologies

10 Circular Reasoning Fallacy Examples