What does circulus in demonstrando refer to?

Circulus in demonstrando, often described as circlular reasoning, refers to a logical fallacy where the conclusion is included in the premises of the argument, making it essentially self-referential and unproven. This type of argument does not provide any new information or logical support because it assumes what it is trying to prove, thereby failing to advance a valid line of reasoning.

For instance, stating "I am trustworthy because I always tell the truth" uses trustworthiness as a basis for the conclusion of trust, without providing external verification or evidence. Thus, the correct understanding of circulus in demonstrando aligns with the notion that the conclusion is encompassed within the premises, rendering it uninformative and logically flawed.

The other choices do not accurately describe this fallacy. Emotional appeals, invalid reasoning, and appeals to the majority pertain to different types of argumentative techniques or fallacies, none of which correctly capture the essence of circulus in demonstrando as it specifically relates to the structure of reasoning in arguments.