What is a loaded question?
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Why are three of the answers “Have you stopped beating your wife?” That raises eyebrows on its own…
A comparison may be useful.
Loaded dice are dice which are loaded heavier on one side, to make it more likely that side will face down. If you want to roll a 6 every time, you would load the 1 side of the die.
In the same way, a loaded question will influence the person answering towards a certain answer. Many examples in other comments
Another way to think of them is “Complex Questions”
Basically, It’s a question that holds an assumption.
An example would be: “Are you voting for that idiot, John”. If you say “yes” to this question, you agree to 2 things:
– You are voting for John
– John is an idiot
It’s a question that is “loaded” with an additional assumption that you might not agree with.
Another common example in philosophy classrooms is “Have you stopped beating your dog”. This one comes with the assumption that you were beating your dog in the past.
Replace “Dog” with “Wife”, and you can see why courtrooms hate loaded questions; they can trick you into agreeing with things that you don’t actually agree with
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So do you still have sex with a donkey when you think no one is around?
Aside from your accomplice, is there anyone who can testify to your location that night?
This question assumes you have an accomplice and thus you commited a crime together.
If you said:
“No, I didn’t see anyone that night.” You’re essentially admitting to having an accomplice, and thus admitted your role in a crime.
“Yes, I met Bob for dinner at 7” You’re admitting to having an accomplice, maybe you had dinner at 7 but hooked up with your accomplice later or staged this alibi as part of your plan.
“She wasn’t my accomplice” so now you acted alone but you’ll be rebuked to answer the question about any other witnesses.
The premise of the question damns you either way because it’s more than a Yes/No option, loaded with connotations and innuendo.
“Can anyone testify to your location that night?
As opposed to
“Did anyone see you break into the museum with Ms. San Diego?”.
A loaded question is a question you can’t answer on its own terms without going along with an assumption you could potentially want to dispute. So “when was the most recent time you returned from Mexico” would be a loaded question if you haven’t told the person asking it that you’ve been to Mexico.
It’s a question like “Why do you support communist wind power being forced down our throats?”. It includes descriptors that aren’t necessarily true, and requires you to expend a lot of effort to set that facts straight.
You know how some menus have a “Loaded” baked potato? Not just a normal baked potato, but one smothered in sour cream and chives and bacon?
Like that, except its a question smothered with sour cream and chives and bacon.
LOL, I was just thinking about “Full Metal Jacket” and the scene where the Drill Instructor asks the recruit “Where are you from?” “Sir, Texas, Sir!” “GAWDAMMED! Only two things from from Texas! Queers and Steer! Which one are you?”
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