Sophistry
No. 07 Fallacy

Circular Reasoning

Use the conclusion as a premise for itself, dressed up as a separate reason.

Two identically ruled statements joined by two arcs that close them into a single loop. a b c
FIG. 7a, the claim. b, the reason given for it, ruled and toned exactly as a is, because it says the same thing. c, the independent support the circuit would need, drawn dashed because it is not there.

Illustrative example

"The Bible is true because it says so, and the Bible is never wrong."

Circular reasoning restates the conclusion as though it were independent supporting evidence. Stripped of its wording, the “reason” and the “conclusion” say the same thing.

It’s easy to miss because the two statements are usually phrased differently, making the repetition sound like two separate points.

Test it by replacing the conclusion with “X” everywhere it appears. If the “evidence” also collapses to “X is true because X,” it’s circular.

Seen in the wild

Real, sourced instances of this technique in actual public debate.

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