Saturday, 10 February 2007

2 + 2 = 5

OK, I have not gone mad, but I learnt something about a priori and a posteriori when used in philosophical argument.

You know that two even numbers can't sum to an odd number without even trying or checking it out with, say stones placed on a heap. You know it a priori; the five senses are not needed to check its validity.

If you were uncertain, you could check by counting fingers on one hand; and that is a posteriori.

Knowledge independent of our senses is a priori and knowledge dependent on our senses is a posteriori.

a priori means literally, what comes before and a posteriori means what comes after.

Simple isn't it. A priori?

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