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In a formal logical system, that is, a set of propositions that are consistent with one another, it is probable that some of the statements can be deduced from one another. For example, in the syllogism, "All men are mortal; Socrates is a man; Socrates is mortal" the last claim can be deduced from the former two. In traditional logic, a syllogism is an inference in which one proposition (the conclusion) follows of necessity from two others (known as premises). ...
A first principle is one that cannot be deduced from any other. The classic example is that of Euclid's geometry; its hundreds of propositions can be deduced from a set of definitions, postulates, and common notions: all three of which constitute "First Principles". Euclid Euclid of Alexandria (Greek: ) (ca. ...
Aristotle, author of the earliest surviving text on logic, formulated a principle that later achieved the historical distinction of being called the first principle as a proper name. It occurs in those of his writings that have come to be called the Metaphysics. The principle in Greek transliteration is (Meta ta physica, 1005b): Aristotle, marble copy of bronze by Lysippos. ...
Metaphysics (Greek words meta = after/beyond and physics = nature) is a branch of philosophy concerned with the study of first principles and being (ontology). ...
- "to gar hama hyparchein te kai me hyparchein adynaton to auto kai kata to auto."
and in English translation: - "For the same (characteristic) simultaneously to belong and not belong to the same (object) in the same (way) is impossible."
This principle is the first expression of consistency in western thought. Any defining and reasoning in any language on any topic assumes it a priori. It cannot be doubted, as all doubting is based on inconsistency, which assumes consistency a priori. A priori is a Latin phrase meaning from the former or less literally before experience. In much of the modern Western tradition, the term a priori is considered to mean propositional knowledge that can be had without, or prior to, experience. ...
A priori is a Latin phrase meaning from the former or less literally before experience. In much of the modern Western tradition, the term a priori is considered to mean propositional knowledge that can be had without, or prior to, experience. ...
There have been many attempts in the history of Western metaphysics to elaborate a single set of first principles. If a thinking person wants to make his or her knowledge internally consistent and make as much sense as possible, a set of first principles is necessary. Metaphysics (Greek words meta = after/beyond and physics = nature) is a branch of philosophy concerned with the study of first principles and being (ontology). ...
Some thinkers, especially in the 20th century, have savaged the notion that true first principles are available. In his Principia Mathematica, Bertrand Russell attempted to subsume all mathematical truths under the first principles of formal logic; however, Kurt Godel launched a savage attack not only on Russell's system but on the very possibility of such a system, contending that any logical system that was consistent could not be complete, and any system that was complete could not be entirely self-consistent. The Principia Mathematica is a three-volume work on the foundations of mathematics, written by Alfred North Whitehead and Bertrand Russell and published in 1910-1913. ...
Wikisource has original works written by or about: Bertrand Russell Writings available online A Free Mans Worship Am I an Atheist or an Agnostic? Icarus: The Future of Science Has Religion Made Useful Contributions to Civilization? Ideas that Have Harmed Mankind In Praise of Idleness (1932) Nobel Lecture (1950...
Logic (from ancient Greek λόγος (logos), meaning reason) is the study of arguments. ...
Kurt Gödel Kurt Gödel [ kurt gøːdl ], (April 28, 1906 – January 14, 1978) was a logician, mathematician, and philosopher of mathematics, whose biography lists quite a few nations, although he is usually associated with Austria. ...
Likewise, Heidegger attacked something perhaps underlying the notion of first principle, that is, the need to represent the world, and the dualism that that task, in his view, entails. Martin Heidegger Martin Heidegger (September 26, 1889 – May 26, 1976) was a German philosopher. ...
The term dualism can refer to a variety of doctrines, mainly in theology and philosophy, each involving the purported existence of two opposites of some kind. ...
See also In epistemology, an axiom is a self-evident truth upon which other knowledge must rest, from which other knowledge is built up. ...
The Latin term ab initio means from the beginning and is used in several contexts: when describing literature: told from the beginning as opposed to in medias res (meaning starting in the middle of the story). ...
Metaphysics (Greek words meta = after/beyond and physics = nature) is a branch of philosophy concerned with the study of first principles and being (ontology). ...
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