Loaded Question
The loaded question arises by asking a question that presupposes a claim so that it cannot be answered to without sounding guilty.
Example of Loaded Question
- "Marijuana has mind-numbing elements that affect your memory so how can you say you have never had marijuana if you can't remember? Now exactly how much pot did you smoke?"
The inability to remember could be caused by variety of other things instead of smoking marijuana. - "Do you think the President should be impeached for colluding with foreign powers?"
Whether the respondant says 'yes' or 'no' the question establishes the 'fact' that the President colluded with foreign powers. The only question that remains is whether he should be impeached.
Books About Logical Fallacies
A few books to help you get a real handle on logical fallacies.
Loaded QuestionExtended Explanation
The Loaded Question fallacy is a logical fallacy in which a question is asked which contains an assumption that the person being asked the question is already in agreement with. This type of logical fallacy is often used in debates or conversations to try to illicit a certain answer or opinion from the person being asked the question without providing any factual evidence to support the assumption being made. It is often used as a form of manipulation to shift the focus of the conversation away from the facts and onto the opinion of the person being asked the question.
An example of the Loaded Question fallacy would be: “Do you think that it is wrong to steal?” The assumption being made in this question is that the person being asked the question already believes that stealing is wrong. The question does not allow for any other opinion to be expressed as it presupposes that the person being asked the question already has an opinion on the matter. The use of this type of logical fallacy does not allow for a meaningful debate to be had as it does not allow for any other opinion to be expressed and it does not provide any facts or evidence to support the assumption being made.
The Loaded Question fallacy is often used in debates and conversations to try to shift the focus away from the facts and onto the opinion of the person being asked the question. It is a form of manipulation which is used to try to get the person being asked the question to agree with a certain opinion without providing any evidence to support the assumption being made. This type of logical fallacy can be avoided by asking questions which do not contain any assumptions and which allow for all opinions to be expressed and discussed in a meaningful manner.