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complex_question
The complex question fallacy (plurium interrogationum) bundles two or more questions into one, with an embedded presupposition that constrains possible answers. Unlike a simple loaded question which presupposes one fact, a complex question entangles multiple issues so that answering any single one implicitly addresses others. The respondent cannot address the components separately.
"Where did you hide the money you stole from the company?" (This bundles three presuppositions: that money is missing, that the respondent took it, and that the respondent hid it.)
A reporter asks a politician: 'When did you stop accepting bribes from lobbyists?' The question presupposes that the politician accepted bribes and that they have stopped — both unestablished claims embedded in a single unanswerable yes/no question.
A survey asks consumers: 'How much has our revolutionary new product improved your daily routine?' This presupposes the respondent uses the product, that it has improved their routine, and that the improvement is notable — all bundled into one leading question.
Binary (yes/no) questions an LLM must answer to identify this aspect:
Does the question assume the truth of an unproven claim?
Type: binaryAre two or more questions being combined into one?
Type: binaryCan the question be answered without implicitly accepting the presupposition?
Type: binaryThe complex question fallacy (plurium interrogationum) bundles two or more questions into one, with an embedded presupposition that constrains possible answers. Unlike a simple loaded question which presupposes one fact, a complex question entangles multiple issues so that answering any single one implicitly addresses others. The respondent cannot address the components separately.
The grammatical structure demands a single answer to what is actually a compound question. Social pressure to respond directly prevents people from deconstructing the question into its component assumptions.
Decompose the question into its separate parts and address each independently: 'There are several assumptions in that question. Let me address them one at a time.' Refuse to accept the bundled framing.
Standard technique in adversarial cross-examination, push polling, media interviews designed to trap politicians, and interrogation tactics.
Use these tools to detect, analyze, or train this aspect.