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6[[quoteright:258:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/circular-reasoning1_copy_7418.jpg]]
7[[caption-width-right:258:This image is true because it agrees with this image.]]
8
9->'''Attorney General:''' Brawndo's got what plants crave.\
10'''Secretary of Energy:''' Yeah, it's got electrolytes.\
11'''Joe:''' What are electrolytes? Do you even know?\
12'''Secretary of State:''' It's... what they use to make Brawndo!\
13'''Joe:''' Yeah, but ''why'' do they use them to make Brawndo?\
14'''Secretary of Defense:''' 'Cause Brawndo's got electrolytes.
15-->-- ''Film/{{Idiocracy}}''
16
17[[UsefulNotes/LogicalFallacies Begging the Question]] used recursively. A is true because B is true. B is true because C is true. C is true because A is true. The proof simply circles around and around, with nothing in it that isn't being proved by itself. This is a {{logical fallac|ies}}y, because it disallows the possibility that ''all three'' are false and, like Begging the Question, presupposes the truth of the thing it's supposed to be providing an argument to prove the truth of. To summarize, the one using it thinks that their claim proves itself; any argument that uses circular reasoning can be boiled down to "it's true because it's true."
18
19If A, B, or C have independent proofs that are "outside the loop", it is no longer circular reasoning.
20
21The simplest form of this is a tautology (like defining "sports writer" as "a writer who writes about sports".) See also ShapedLikeItself and FamousForBeingFamous. A similar concept is a logic loop, a type of LogicBomb where a series of thoughts leads to itself. The TautologicalTemplar lives by this trope, assuming that they're inherently good and therefore ''everything'' they say or do is inherently good, too.
22
23!!!Looks like this fallacy, but isn't.
24
25* Algorithms that describe decision-making processes often loop back to the decision point, but being decisions they have more than one possible circle. These algorithms, while circular, describe a ''process'' rather than making an ''argument''.
26* As mentioned above, a logic loop is kind of like circular reasoning but in the other way. Instead of “A is true '''because''' B is true because C is true because A is true” (circular reasoning) it's “A is true; '''therefore''' B is true; therefore C is true; therefore A is true.” While not a fallacy,[[note]]Since A is assumed/ proven to be true by data outside the loop[[/note]] a logic loop is a LogicBomb and its best to steer machines away from them. Most humans will recognize the futility of the exercise once one loop has been completed but most machines can't.
27* [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axiom Axioms]] are considered self-evidently valid, and thus are accepted as "true because they are true." (For example, “A = A” or “The whole is greater than the part”, or "If A = B and B = C then A = C.") This is not fallacious because axioms form the basis for ''other'' logical arguments. We're not trying to prove axioms; we're using them to prove other things.
28* ShapedLikeItself is when something is ''described'' recursively, as in “an apple-colored apple” or “a round circle.” This may indicate vague thinking, but isn’t inherently fallacious since we’re describing rather than proving anything.
29
30----
31!!Examples:
32
33[[foldercontrol]]
34
35[[folder:Advertising]]
36* A very literal example in the [[Advertising/PartnershipToEndAddiction Partnership For a Drug Free America]] [=PSA=] "Circles": A man who is locked in a room says "I do coke so I can work longer so I can earn more so I can do more coke" and so on and so forth while walking in a circle before suddenly disappearing.
37[[/folder]]
38
39[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
40* In ''Literature/TheCreationAlchemistEnjoysFreedom'', we have the case of Duke Bragas Regus. He lives in the Dolgaria Empire that fiercely embodies KlingonScientistsGetNoRespect. As such, he sees non-combat ''god-given'' professions like [Alchemy] as inherently incompetent and useless. His son Thor is an alchemist, as learned through a magical appraisal. This prompts Duke Regus to do everything possible to make Thor appear useless, squashing the boy's chances of being useful and driving his accomplishments into obscurity from everyone, especially himself.
41[[/folder]]
42
43[[folder:Fan Works]]
44* In the ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' mod ''VideoGame/AutumnLeaves'', this is why [[spoiler:Arthur]] believes that HumansAreBastards: because they kill to survive and are savages. Why are they savages? Because they have no knowledge or culture for themselves. If you ask him about the library being used to turn people into cultured human beings, [[spoiler:Arthur]] states that the people of the Mojave don't deserve said knowledge because they are... well, savages. Pointing out this flawed reasoning actually ''fails'' the conversation- you're meant to prove that his paranoid personality core is the root of his problems.
45* ''Fanfic/{{Cain}}'' has Katsuki engaging in this ''constantly''. So far as he's concerned, he's the hottest shit around, a natural choice for All Might's successor thanks to his incredible Quirk and unsurpassable power -- ''clearly'' better than that powerless, Quirkless, ''worthless'' '''Deku'''! Yet he also justifies his IrrationalHatred of Izuku by claiming that Izuku's very ''existence'' [[FeelingOppressedByTheirExistence makes his life utterly hellish]]... even while simultaneously insisting that Izuku's far too weak to actually ''do anything'' to him. To hear him tell it, Izuku is both an evil chessmaster masterfully manipulating everyone around him to ruin Katsuki's life, yet also completely unable to touch him. Which is why Katsuki hates him so much.
46* Directly invoked by the UnreliableNarrator in ''Fanfic/EquestriaAHistoryRevealed'', in which she intentionally wants to paint Princess Celestia in a bad light. The author states that if Celestia was willing to lie about the Hearth's Warming Eve Paegent first, then she would be willing to lie about the Hearts and Hooves Day legend too, as she would have experience in lying. But if she lied about the Hearts and Hooves Day legend first, then she would clearly also lie about the Hearth's Warming Eve Paegent, as it held much greater significance.
47[[/folder]]
48
49[[folder:Film - Live-Action]]
50* [[Film/BillAndTedsExcellentAdventure Bill and Ted]] wish fervently for their band The Wyld Stallyns to become famous. However, they disagree on how they should make this happen:
51--> '''Bill''': The truth is, Wyld Stallyns will never be a super band until we have Eddie Van Halen on guitar.\
52'''Ted''': Yes, Bill. But, I do not believe we will get Eddie Van Halen until we have a triumphant video.\
53'''Bill''': Ted, it's pointless to have a triumphant video before we even have decent instruments.\
54'''Ted''': Well, how can we have decent instruments when we don't really even know how to play?\
55'''Bill''': That is why we ''need'' Eddie Van Halen!\
56'''Ted''': And ''that'' is why we need a triumphant video.\
57'''[[IdiotHero Bill and Ted]]''': EXCELLENT! ''(air guitar solo)''
58* ''Film/{{Clue}}'': The blackmail against Mr. Green is that he's gay. He has no issue with it himself, but he'd be fired if his employers (the State Department) found out because they'd view him as a security risk... which he is solely because of that policy. His stating such is met with a quick {{beat}}.
59* ''Film/ErikTheViking'': "Well, if the only reason for the expeditions is the looting and pillaging, and the only reason for the looting and pillaging is to pay for the next expedition, then that's a circular argument, isn't it? They cancel each other out."
60* ''Film/{{Idiocracy}}'': Employed by the Presidential Cabinet members when Joe fruitlessly tries to explain to them why they should stop watering crops with Brawndo (a sports drink).
61-->'''Attorney General:''' Brawndo's got what plants crave.\
62'''Secretary of Energy:''' Yeah, it's got electrolytes.\
63'''Joe:''' What are electrolytes? Do you even know?\
64'''Secretary of State:''' It's what they use to make Brawndo.\
65'''Joe:''' Yeah, but why do they use them to make Brawndo?\
66'''Secretary of Defense:''' 'Cause Brawndo's got electrolytes.
67* In ''Film/StarTrekTheMotionPicture'', the ginormous space machine V'Ger is headed to Earth to seek "the Creator". So what is the Creator?
68-->'''Probe Ilia:''' The Creator is that which created V'Ger.\
69'''[[TheCaptain Captain Kirk]]:''' And what is V'Ger?\
70'''Probe Ilia:''' V'Ger is that which seeks the Creator.
71[[/folder]]
72
73[[folder:Literature]]
74* The ''Literature/CatchTwentyTwo'' of the novel of the same name is Circular Reasoning. The dialogue that explains it:
75-->'''Yossarian:''' Is Orr crazy?\
76'''Dr. 'Doc' Daneeka:''' ''Of course'' he is. He has to be crazy to keep flying after all the close calls he's had.\
77'''Yossarian:''' Why can't you ground him?\
78'''Doc Daneeka:''' I can, but first he has to ask me.\
79'''Yossarian:''' That's all he's gotta do to be grounded?\
80'''Doc Daneeka:''' That's all.\
81'''Yossarian:''' Then you can ground him?\
82'''Doc Daneeka:''' No. Then I cannot ground him.\
83'''Yossarian:''' Aah!\
84'''Doc Daneeka:''' There's a CATCH!\
85'''Yossarian:''' A catch?\
86'''Doc Daneeka:''' Sure. Catch-22. Anyone who wants to get out of combat isn't really crazy, so I can't ground him.\
87'''Yossarian:''' Okay, let me see if I've got this straight. In order to be grounded, I've got to be crazy. And I must be crazy to keep flying. But if I ask to be grounded, that means I'm not crazy anymore, and I have to keep flying.\
88'''Doc Daneeka:''' You got it, that's Catch-22.
89* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'':
90** In ''Literature/{{Jingo}}'', the long-lost island of Leshp resurfaces in the sea between Ankh-Morpork and Klatch. Both nations have been at peace for decades and have no reason for conflict, but because Leshp is in such a strategic position and would be a natural staging point ''for'' a conflict, they can't afford to let the other country possess it.
91--->'''Vimes:''' So we're supposed to go to war over some rock that's only useful if we have to go to war?
92** In ''Literature/MakingMoney'', this is why The Department of Post Mortem Communications can't be called necromancy:
93--->'''Moist:''' So what you are saying is that necromancy is a very bad form of magic performed only by evil wizards, and since you are not evil wizards, [[NoTrueScotsman what you are doing cannot possibly be called necromancy?]]\
94'''Dr. Hicks:''' Yes.\
95'''Moist:''' And what defines an evil wizard?\
96'''Dr. Hicks:''' Well, for a start, doing necromancy.\
97'''Moist:''' And because you're not evil wizards, what you're doing can't be called necromancy.\
98'''Dr. Hicks:''' Exactly!
99* The policy below is played with in ''Literature/TheLaundryFiles'', where the Laundry bosses are more logical. Pinky and Brain are ''required'' to attend Pride every year, thereby proving that their sexuality is not a secret that could be held over them.
100* The "Gay people cannot have Government jobs, because they're a security risk, because they could be blackmailed, because gay people cannot have Government jobs" policy listed under RealLife is described by Roy Tappen in ''The Leaky Establishment'' by Creator/DavidLangford. In a ''reducto ad absurdum'' analogy, Tappen points out that if the security men ''start'' with "we find this behaviour suspicious", you can apply the same logic to anything. [[DirtyCommunists Drinking vodka]], for example.
101* Literature/TheLittlePrince encounters a tippler on his way to Earth. When asked why he drinks, the tippler explains that [[DrowningMySorrows he wants to forget]]. Forget what? His shame. And what's he ashamed of? Of drinking. The Prince later meets a businessman who thinks the stars belong to him, and the Prince notes that he reasons in a similar way. The value of owning stars is that they make him rich, and he wants to be rich so he can buy more stars.
102* In the ''Literature/NomesTrilogy'' book ''Wings'' (about a certain almost insignificant subset of living things of Florida):
103-->But they're the ones who matter. At least, in their opinion. And their opinion is the one that matters. In their opinion.
104* ''Literature/TheSchoolForGoodAndEvil'': In ''A World Without Princes'', the school is divided into a Boy side and a Girl side. Agatha needs to cross to the Boy side, but finds the way blocked by the magic barrier, which defines each side in terms of the other.
105-->"Try all you want. You won't trick me again," her reflection said. "You're obviously a Girl."\
106"And what makes a Girl?" Agatha asked.\
107"All the things a Boy is not."\
108Agatha frowned. "And what makes a Boy?"\
109"All the things a Girl is not."\
110"But you still haven't told me what a Boy or Girl ''is''."
111* ''Literature/TheSchoolForGoodMothers'': The mothers are practicing how to talk to their children using [[RidiculouslyHumanRobots robotic dolls]] as proxies. An instructor tells Beth that her voice should be "as light and lovely as a cloud". When Beth asks how does a cloud sound, Ms. Russo says it sounds like a mother. This does not make sense to Beth, but Ms. Russo tells her that [[DontThinkFeel mothering is about a feeling, not about sense]].
112* Creator/RudyardKipling nodded at it in a darkly humorous way in "The Sleepy Sentinel" (''[[http://www.kipling.org.uk/poems_epitaphs.htm Epitaphs of the War]]''):
113--> I sleep because I am slain. They slew me because I slept.
114* ''Literature/StartingANewLifeForTheDiscardedAllRounder'' uses this line of reasoning when Roa's home country tries to explain how its apprenticeship system is "flawless." Mentor was once an apprentice.-> Mentor was certified. -> Mentor gets his own apprentice. -> Apprentice doesn't get certified. -> Apprentice winds up in a slum, begging for coin or food because no other mentor will take him. -> Apprentice had no talent. If the apprentice had talent, mentor would have certified him. The top brass ''utterly refuses'' to acknowledge the flaws in the steps of this flowchart. First, just because you were a good apprentice doesn't guarantee that you're going to be a good mentor. Second, just because the apprentice wasn't certified by one mentor, doesn't mean he has ''no talent at all'' and maybe he would have learned better with another mentor, or even a mentor in a different field, if another mentor could take him in, instead of treating him as radioactive for "quitting" or "failing" because the last didn't certify him. Lastly, "having no talent" isn't the only reason an apprentice might not be certified by a mentor. As the case of Roa himself demonstrates, ''there is no oversight'' and there's nothing stopping the mentor from acts of malice against the apprentice, including denying certification just to abuse and exploit the apprentice, and then using the very same stigma to unilaterally expel the apprentice at the first convenience.
115* In ''Literature/WakingUpAsASpaceship'', countries discriminate against the artificially created Nekomi race, chase them out of their homes, deny them legal employment, and leave them no option but to turn to crime then use the fact that they're criminals as a result to justify the discrimination in the first place. Kuon, first mate of the protagonist, gets called out on it when Abyssal rescues a Nekomi from space-pirates and Kuon objects, lampshading the circular reasoning.
116* ''Literature/XWingSeries'': In ''Starfighters of Adumar'', Wedge points out the use of this trope as he [[{{Deconstruction}} takes apart the concept]] of a ProudWarriorRaceGuy:
117-->'''Wedge:''' Circular thinking. I'm honorable because I kill the enemy, and I kill the enemy for the honor. There's nothing there, Cheriss.
118[[/folder]]
119
120[[folder:Live Action TV]]
121* In ''Series/EightOutOfTenCats Does Series/{{Countdown}}'', while discussing tapeworms, Sean Lock claimed you can only get a tapeworm from pork. When asked where the pigs get them, he responded that they get them from other pigs.
122* Subverted in an episode of ''Series/CornerGas''. Brent is convinced to give up coffee, since he only drinks it to stay awake, and he has trouble staying awake because he can't sleep at night, and he can't sleep at night because he drinks so much coffee. Turns out, without coffee he just sleeps ''[[TheSlacker all the time]]'' instead.
123* Monroe's dad in ''Series/{{Grimm}}'' when he learns his son's [[MalignedMixedMarriage marrying a Fuchsbau]]. This starts a huge argument, during which Bart starts ranting that mixed marriages destroy families: "It's happening already!" In other words, he disapproves of Monroe marrying Rosalee, because they're having an argument, because he disapproves of Monroe marrying Rosalee.
124* A sketch on ''Series/ThatMitchellAndWebbLook'' had a group of government agents justify covering up the Roswell incident in this way. They could release all the information now in order to gather support and build defences against a possible invasion, but people will be angry with the government when they learn that aliens exist, especially if there is an invasion and it turns out that the government knew about them for decades but did nothing to help gather support and build defences.
125* In the ''Series/{{Porridge}}'' episode "Rough Justice", Judge Stephen Rawley, convicted of corruption, gets out on appeal. Fletcher notes that Mackay is now calling him ''Mister'' Rawley (he refers to prisoners by only their surname).
126-->'''Mackay''': Certainly. If the appeal court judges say his nose is clean, that's good enough for me. They are men of the highest integrity in the land.\
127'''Fletcher''': What're you talking about? He's one of them!\
128'''Mackay''': Precisely. And he's innocent, which proves my point.
129* In ''Series/{{The Twilight Zone|1959}}'' episode, "Five Characters in Search of an Exit," when the major pounds on the wall, the clown sings, "We're here because we're here because we're here because we're here."[[note]]This line came from a World War 1 song reflecting soldiers' increasing disillusionment with the war, in that they no longer, in fact, knew why they were there.[[/note]]
130[[/folder]]
131
132[[folder:Radio]]
133* ''Radio/TheGoonShow'': In one of the best-known exchanges between Eccles and Bluebottle (it was even included in a 1978 book about the series) Eccles has a piece of paper that he uses to tell Bluebottle the time. The paper reads "8 o'clock". Bluebottle asks Eccles how he knows ''when'' it's 8 o'clock. Eccles replies that he's got it written on a piece of paper.
134** More unassailably, at one point Major Bloodnok declares: "If I don't eat soon, I'll die... and if I die, I won't eat soon!"
135* ''Radio/TheMenFromTheMinistry'': How does Mr. Lamb remember the to read the notes on the blotter? He has a notebook in which he writes notes to look at the blotter. How does he remember to look at the notebook? He has a reminder on the blotter.
136[[/folder]]
137
138[[folder:Theatre]]
139* The song "Why We Build The Wall" from the musical ''Theatre/{{Hadestown}}'' serves as a reminder for the workers Way Down Hadestown, and an explanation for the audience, as to why the workers are working so hard (specifically on the wall) every day and never seem to be done or have any end of their hardship in sight. In the format of Hades, the king of the underworld, asking a question and the workers [[CallandResponseSong answering it]] according to the laws of the underworld, the reasoning unfolds itself with every answer spawning a new question. The further the questions go, the more insane the reasoning seems to get, until the very last question and answer leave you standing with your mouth open: Why are they building the wall? Because then they have a wall to work upon.
140-->'''Workers:'''The enemy is poverty\
141And the wall keeps out the enemy\
142And we build the wall to keep us free\
143That's why we build the wall\
144We build the wall to keep us free\
145'''Hades:''' What do we have that they should want\
146My children, my children?\
147What do we have that they should want?\
148'''Workers:''' What do we have that they should want?\
149We have a wall to work upon
150[[/folder]]
151
152[[folder:Video Games]]
153* Employed by the train robots in ''VideoGame/BrokenAge''. They need the "Young Hero" to save the runaway train. Because the Young Hero is the only one that can save them, the train doesn't start until the he arrives. The robots are thus completely horrified by Young Hero's disappearance, because then no one will save them. The issue is a little [[JustifiedTrope justified]]: they were built to entertain a kid eager for something exciting.
154-->'''Vella:''' If the train isn't a runaway until your hero arrives, and your hero is missing, then what's the problem?\
155'''Train Conductor:''' If the Young Hero never arrives, then we have no purpose.\
156'''Robot #1:''' [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman Why do we exist?!]]\
157'''Robot #2:''' Do we even exist?!\
158'''Train Conductor:''' You see? It's unsafe from a philosophical point of view.
159* In ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}'' it's possible to take down an enemy non-lethally by pointing out that they're using this fallacy. [[spoiler:President Eden can be convinced by the player that he's using circular reasoning when he declares that he's infallible because he was programmed to be. As the player points out in this scenario, Eden's argument is "I know because I know." This initiates a LogicBomb that allows the player to convince Eden to self-destruct.]]
160* In ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', Shepherd has a chat with "The God Child" in The Citadel, which reveals that The Reapers, a race of ancient synthetic beings, cleanse the galaxy of sapient life above a certain tech threshold about every 50,000 years on the premise that if they didn't, the organic sapients would create synthetic race(s) that would purge all organic life, and each cycle the Reapers got more efficient at pushing the organics in the direction of the tech that mandates their extinction. The extended cut DLC has the option of pointing this circular reasoning out. Succeed, and it's NonStandardGameOver.
161* PlayedForLaughs (darkly) in ''VideoGame/TheOuterWorlds'', as you meet an entitled AlphaBitch who, upon being questioned, drops this gem.
162-->'''Hortense Inglesbee''': If you have wealth, you're successful, and if you're successful, you must have earned it. Honestly, [[TheSocialDarwinist it's a simple concept]].
163* In ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClankGoingCommando'', Ratchet and Clank come across a Circular Reasoning logic puzzle [[ContrivedCoincidence in the middle of nowhere inside of a desert cavern.]] The "puzzle" consists of using an upgraded wrench, currently encased in glass, to gain a rock which is also encased in glass, in order to break the glass containing the wrench. Clank is amused by the challenge and briefly tries to deduce how to solve it, but it's obvious that since each requires the other, it's impossible without TakingAThirdOption, [[CuttingTheKnot which Ratchet does by using his own wrench]].
164[[/folder]]
165
166[[folder:Web Animation]]
167* Shows up in one episode of ''WebAnimation/PuffinForest''. The town council and guards look the other way in regards to the black market, because the trade of illegal magic items is the lifeblood of the town. Ben's character points out that there is not much point in there being a black market if the town council doesn't oppose it, and they could just make the trade legal, but the Inquisitor argues that shutting down the black market would ruin the town. In other words, the black market is the lifeblood of the town, and they can't legalize it because then there wouldn't be a black market anymore.
168* On the ''WebAnimation/ZeroPunctuation'' review of ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft: Cataclysm'', Yahtzee asked another player why he raids. The raider's reason is that it gets stuff. Why does he want stuff? To raid with.
169[[/folder]]
170
171[[folder:Web Comics]]
172* Knowingly used in ''Webcomic/BasicInstructions''.
173-->'''Scott''': "They were better, because they were superior." That's a good point, on account of its quality.
174* When Trawn of ''Webcomic/ElectricWonderland'' takes a shortcut to her HomeBase through 4chan's domain, she learns from passers-by that everyone there keeps repeating certain catchphrases because they're humorous, those catchphrases are humorous because everyone there keeps repeating them, and everyone there keeps repeating them because they're humorous.
175-->'''Trawn:''' Ugh, the logic here drives me crazy on ''normal'' days!
176* In ''Webcomic/{{Freefall}}'', Florence is given a direct order to [[GettingSmiliesPaintedOnYourSoul like the mayor, trust her, and want to make her happy]]. [[http://freefall.purrsia.com/ff2700/fc02615.htm Much later,]] when asked if she wants the order canceled, she refuses, stating that she trusts the mayor and removing the order would not make her happy. It's removed anyway, on the grounds that she's "obviously hit a limit in self-diagnostics".
177%%* Used as an insult in ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'' [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20081231 here]].
178* Roxy and Kanaya have a conversation that veers into this during Act 6 Act 6 Intermission 5 of ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'':
179-->'''ROXY:''' so you are roses girlfriend right?\
180'''KANAYA:''' I Dont Know\
181'''KANAYA:''' Is That What Humans Call A Matesprit When The Matesprit Is A Girl\
182'''ROXY:''' umm\
183'''ROXY:''' i dunno\
184'''ROXY:''' is a matesprit the thing trolls call each other when they are girlfriends or boyfriends with each other?\
185'''KANAYA:''' Yes\
186'''ROXY:''' ah ha!\
187'''ROXY:''' then uh\
188'''ROXY:''' the answer is yes?\
189'''KANAYA:''' Yes
190* In ''Webcomic/TheNonAdventuresOfWonderella'': Wonderella and Dr. Shark use this when confronting an high school student about [[DrugsAreBad the dangers of marijuana]]:
191-->'''Wonderella:''' Marijuana is ''illegal'', young man.\
192'''Student:''' But, ''why?''\
193'''Wonderella:''' Because it leads to harder drugs [...]\
194'''Student:''' Who says I ''have'' to try harder drugs?\
195'''Wonderella:''' Your ''dealer''. [...]\
196'''Student:''' But why do I need to go to a dealer?\
197'''Dr. Shark:''' Because, young man, Marijuana is ''illegal.''\
198'''Student:''' [[LampshadeHanging Hmm, I guess it makes sense when you put it like that.]]
199* ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'':
200** Though she ultimately turns out to be right, Elan points out that Haley is using circular logic against Tarquin: She won't tell him that lives are at stake concerning the information she wants because she doesn't trust him, and she doesn't trust him because he's withholding information when lives are at stake. [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0747.html Haley is not pleased]] at having been out-logicked by TheDitz.
201** Another instance, when Grubwiggler accuses the Thieves' Guild of robbing him even though he pays them protection:
202-->'''Crystal:''' HEY! Our thieves are only allowed to steal from people our thieves are allowed to steal from!\
203'''Bozzok:''' My colleague's circular logic notwithstanding, she is correct.
204* ''Webcomic/{{xkcd}}''
205** In [[http://xkcd.com/1052 "Every Major's Terrible"]] song, a theology major can be seen writing a proof that goes "X, therefore there exists X".
206** [[https://xkcd.com/2451 "AI Methodology"]]: The research group's AI-based methodology has been questioned, but they used AI to prove it's a good methodology.
207[[/folder]]
208
209[[folder:Web Original]]
210* In ''Series/{{Noob}}'' there seems to be little of this going on in Master Zen's situation and it comes up when Omega Zell gives him advice along the lines of "How about you stop harassing us and get yourself a hobby other than the {{MMORPG}} we're all playing?". Master Zen's reply can be paraphrased as "I can't keep myself busy with anything else than the {{MMORPG}} because I can't leave my hiding place. I escaped jail to be able to harass you guys on the game, remember?"
211[[/folder]]
212
213[[folder:Western Animation]]
214* ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'': In "Arthur's Big Hit" when Sue Ellen spots Binky hiding from Arthur in the bushes, she asks what he's doing there. Binky answers that he's avoiding Arthur so he doesn't have to hit him. Sue Ellen then asks why Binky wants to hit Arthur, to which Binky replies that he ''doesn't'', which is why he's avoiding him. Since Binky never explains to her that his friends have threatened to kick him out of the club if he doesn't hit Arthur the next time he sees him, Sue Ellen is left confused by what appears to be this trope.
215-->'''Sue Ellen:''' Hmm. ''(walks away)'' Boys...
216* During one ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtHead'' music video segment, Beavis asks why a certain person in the video is on TV. Butt-head says he's on TV because he's famous. What's he famous for? He's famous for being on TV. This goes back and forth for awhile, with Butt-Head getting increasingly irritated that Beavis doesn't get it.
217* On ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'', Fry says that he is drinking so much coffee because he has a night job, which he needs so he can buy coffee to stay awake for his night job.
218* In the ''[[WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfJimmyNeutronBoyGenius Jimmy Neutron]]'' TV movie, "The League of Villains", during a KangarooCourt, T is upset that he has to be the court's bailiff instead of being on the jury with the rest of the villains. When he asks why he can't be on the jury, the villains tell him that they already voted on it. He asks why he didn't get to vote, to which the response is, "Because you're not on the jury."
219* In the ''WesternAnimation/WordGirl'' episode "Mr. Big", [=WordGirl=] thinks the description of a strange new product called the Thing is very vague and defines the episode's associated vocabulary words, "vague" and "specific", to customers who own their own Things... by saying "vague" means "not specific" and "specific" means "not vague". The customers are confused, and [=WordGirl=] defines the words again, this time actually explaining in more detail what they mean.
220* [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] in ''WesternAnimation/OneDroopyKnight'' where at the end Droopy says it's a true story, well, just because it's a true story, except he's right there with the princess and [[DefeatMeansFriendship the dragon he defeated earlier in the picture]] lights his cigar for him. PlayedForLaughs, however, as despite Droopy's fallacious reasoning, he's right there with two other main characters.
221[[/folder]]
222
223[[folder:Real Life]]
224* A '''monarchy''' is a nation ruled by a monarch; a '''monarch''' is someone who rules a monarchy. What with {{Hereditary Republic}}s, [[ElectiveMonarchy Elective Monarchies]], and [[PresidentForLife Presidents-For-Life]], that's about the clearest definitions there are, and political scientists often admit that sometimes [[PeoplesRepublicOfTyranny the only difference between a monarchy and a republic are the titles involved]]. Practically, it's the same: as someone wrote, "Romans noticed they had an Empire already only when the Court protocol changed".
225** In practice, the usual definition of monarch is "ruler who gained his/her position by virtue of his/her bloodline", i.e. being the head of the nation's royal family. This distinguishes a monarchy (in which rulership is hereditary) from a republic (in which rulership is granted by a voting body). The question now becomes how the royal family gained the status of "royal family" in the first place, and the answer to that question can only be found in the very beginning of the civilization in question (or the most recent coup d'etat). Furthermore, either a monarchy or a republic can devolve into a dictatorship, the key aspect of that being a ruler seeking to gain, exert, and maintain effectively absolute power. (Many modern dictatorships are republics-in-name-only where elections are blatantly rigged so that only the current ruler has any chance whatsoever of winning (by limiting who can become a candidate, control over mass media, and vote rigging - usually in this order), Iraq under the rule of Saddam Hussein being a textbook example.)
226** One of the titles of UsefulNotes/ThePope is King of Vatican City, and he's the last absolute monarch in Europe. The Pope is elected by the Cardinals from one of their number, and only once did a son directly succeed his father as Pope: Pope Innocent I and Pope Anastasius respectively, in 401.
227** North Korea, a dictatorship that has passed from father to son to grandson just like a monarchy, is another example that blurs the boundaries.
228** In practice, defining terms in such a way as to avoid circularity (without resorting to another language) can be hard.
229* Investing is good because you can make money, and the more money you have, the more you can invest. Here you can break the circle by remembering that money is an instrumental good, but a surprising amount of economic activity is based on using money to make money. This also results in the Catch22Dilemma of not being able to invest without capital, but not having any means of gaining capital without investment (like starting a business or going to university).
230* Fix point in mathematics (and (co-)induction). Circular reasoning done carefully enough to work.
231* [[http://www.redstate.com/2013/06/08/a-faith-to-stand-firm/ This article]] exposes a LogicBomb with the Scouts:
232-->The Boy Scouts, as by now you know, has decided to allow in gay scouts while keeping two prohibitions. The first is that which prevents gay scout leaders. The second, which has gone mostly without notice, is the prohibition on sexual activity by scouts. This has put many Christians in a position they never asked to be in, in a fight they never asked for — ''if being gay is not a sin, but homosexual practice is a sin, how then are they to exclude gay scouts who cannot practice homosexuality?''
233* Try discussing with TheFundamentalist about the existence of God, as well as His, and by proxy his followers' rights to decree what's right or wrong and how people should live their lives. Constantly they'll begin answering with increasingly TautologicalTemplar, KnightTemplar and HolierThanThou reasoning, which are very much examples ("God is Right because he's God, and God is always right, so therefore all I do, as long as I'm doing it for Him, is also right!").
234** The circular reasoning here isn't actually that the fundamentalist is right because God is right, but rather that God is right because He's God. The "I'm right because I do things in God's name" clause is a separate logical fallacy. Of course, "what does it ''mean'' when we say GodIsGood" is a valid question, and theologians throughout history have come up with any number of elaborate and sophisticated arguments concerning this, but TheFundamentalist is rarely a very good theologian.
235** In the same vein, much of the "proof" that any given religion's holy book is true -- and a traditional, time-honored defense of them -- is because it says in the holy book that the holy book is true.
236** On the other side of religious debates it's not uncommon to find atheists using a circular argument against the possibility that miracles can happen. The argument, famously put forward by philosopher David Hume, uses the supposed fact that there has never been any proof of a miracle as a reason to believe that accounts of miracles cannot be accurately describing actual miracles.
237* Before it gained more acceptance, being gay and holding any sort of government-related position was (and still can be, depending on the government) a fireable offense, due to the belief that gay people would be inherent security risks. Of course, the reason they were ''guaranteed'' security risks were because of this policy -- [[{{Blackmail}} blackmailer]] finds out employee is gay, employee has to capitulate to the blackmail or else lose their job.
238* Upon interviewing for a job, there are many things candidates should do or not do because they're professional/not professional. Anyone dressing for the job and not dressing up for the interview is not being professional, because it's considered professional to dress up for job interviews. In many jobs, showing up for an interview with long hair (as a man), tattoos, etc., obviously shows that the candidate is likewise showing indication that they may not be professional because....these are not things professional people do. While there certainly is something to be said for professional ''conduct'', there seems to be a circular reasoning that links the appearance to conduct and then back again.
239* According to Creator/IsaacAsimov, this was used in TheMiddleAges as an excuse not to educate women; all SmartPeopleKnowLatin, but women don't know Latin so they must be stupid, which means that there's no point in teaching them Latin (or anything else).[[note]]Actually, more ladies were literate back then than men, to the point of MoralGuardians complaining about the then-popular romance literature, but the circularity still stands.[[/note]] This is also the fallacy of confusing knowledge with intelligence, which [[InsultFriendlyFire also]] underpins large parts of so-called "[[UsefulNotes/IQTesting intelligence tests]]".
240* In the late 20th century, the then (Tory) government of the UK refused to legalise cannabis on the grounds that "it leads to hard drugs". All evidence is that cannabis leads to hard drugs solely and precisely ''because'' it's illegal. If the only way to vote Tory was to visit your local pusher, voting Tory would lead to hard drugs.
241* [[MoralGuardians Lt. Col. Dave Grossman]] has published several reports [[NewMediaAreEvil linking video game violence to desensitization of real-world violence]], citing numerous government studies as evidence of the charge. In his book "Myths, Lies & Downright Stupidity", investigative reporter John Stossel examined the citations on many of the studies Grossman has used and discovered that several of them listed ''Lt. Col. Grossman himself'' as a primary source. In other words, "Here are a bunch of studies that bolster my argument, which use information that I personally supplied to them."
242* A fundamental part of any conspiracy theory is that [[AbsenceOfEvidence the evidence supporting the theory doesn't exist]] because the ones responsible are suppressing the evidence. The lack of evidence proves their guilt, because if they weren't guilty, they wouldn't have any reason to hide the evidence. Also, any evidence that proves the conspiracy theory ''isn't'' true is ''actually'' proof that the conspiracy goes ''even deeper than previously thought''.
243* In 2016, convicted terrorist Anders Breivik sued the Norwegian government for about everything he disliked since he was imprisoned. The neutral court gave him exactly one win: it is against his human rights to be deprived of human contact while in prison. Norway's explanation? "We can't force people to visit Breivik, so the only people that we can allow to visit Breivik are people that want to do it, but precisely those are the people that ''really shouldn't'' be allowed to visit Anders Breivik."
244* As [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Luu1Beb8ng&list=PLJA_jUddXvY7v0VkYRbANnTnzkA_HMFtQ&index=9 this video]] on the nature of fascism points out, while most hierarchical social structures have some kind of reasoning for why the rulers deserve to be in charge (The King was trained since birth to be a ruler, the rich guy invented something useful, etc.) fascism pretty much just says "We deserve to be in charge because, well, [[BecauseISaidSo we just do]]". And while some fascist societies may attempt at a fig leaf of a justification (typically involving some sort of half-baked SocialDarwinism or pseudoscience about the "MasterRace", or else a ludicrous ConspiracyTheory about their enemies) this sort of "reasoning" typically falls apart at the slightest examination.
245* The internment of Japanese prisoners in the US was justified, in part, by General John [=DeWitt=] because "The very fact that no sabotage has taken place to date is a [[ItsQuietTooQuiet disturbing and confirming]] indication [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_L._DeWitt#Internment_of_Japanese_Americans that such action will be taken."]]
246* A common frustration with many science majors is monomers and polymers. Monomers are described as "units of polymers" while polymers are "chains of monomers"
247* Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs and Secretary of State Colin Powell recounts a conversation he had with an ARVN (South Vietnamese Army) base commander about concerns he had with where the base was built
248-->'''Powell''': “Sir, I don’t think this base should be here. We are in a valley surrounded by hills. The enemy could have forward observers looking down from those hilltops and calling artillery down on us.” \
249'''ARVN Commander''': “Base must be here.” \
250'''Powell''': “Why was a base built here?” \
251'''ARVN Commander''': “To protect airfield.” \
252'''Powell''': “And why was an airfield built here?” \
253'''ARVN Commander''': “To resupply base”
254* A Woozle is a similar concept where one tries to find the source of a claim and finds a relatively tight knit group citing each other at the end of the rabbit hole instead of primary sources or research.
255[[/folder]]

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