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knowledge of all that man can know, as well for the conduct of his life as for the preservation of his health and the discovery of all the arts, and that knowledge to subserve these ends must necessarily be deduced from first causes; so that in order to study the acquisition of it (which is properly called philosophizing), we must commence with the investigation of those first causes which are called
Principles. Now, these principles must possess two conditions: in the first place, they must be so clear and evident that the human mind, when it attentively considers them, cannot doubt their truth; in the second place, the knowledge of other things must be so dependent on them as that though the principles themselves may indeed be known apart from what depends on them, the latter cannot nevertheless be known apart from the former. It will accordingly be necessary thereafter to endeavor so to deduce from those principles the knowledge of the things that depend on them, as that there may be nothing in the whole series of deductions which is not perfectly manifest.
446:
elements. It is clear, then, that in the science of nature as elsewhere, we should try first to determine questions about the first principles. The naturally proper direction of our road is from things better known and clearer to us, to things that are clearer and better known by nature; for the things that are known to us are not the same as the things known unconditionally (haplôs). Hence it is necessary for us to progress, following this procedure, from the things that are less clear by nature, but clearer to us, towards things that are clearer and better known by nature. (Phys. 184a10–21)
293:, considered as a divine primordial condition, from which everything else appeared. In the creation "chaos" is a gaping-void, but later the word is used to describe the space between the Earth and the sky, after their separation. "Chaos" may mean infinite space, or a formless matter which can be differentiated. The notion of temporal infinity was familiar to the Greek mind from remote antiquity in the religious conception of immortality. The conception of the "divine" as an origin influenced the first Greek philosophers. In the
339:, who believed it was air. This is considered as a permanent substance or either one or more which is conserved in the generation of rest of it. From this all things first come to be and into this they are resolved in a final state. This source of entity is always preserved. Although their theories were primitive, these philosophers were the first to give an explanation of the physical world without referencing the supernatural; this opened the way for much of modern
546:
459:
is the condition necessary for the existence of something, the basis for what he calls "first philosophy" or metaphysics. The search for first principles is not peculiar to philosophy; philosophy shares this aim with biological, meteorological, and historical inquiries, among others. But
Aristotle's
531:
I should have desired, in the first place, to explain in it what philosophy is, by commencing with the most common matters, as, for example, that the word philosophy signifies the study of wisdom, and that by wisdom is to be understood not merely prudence in the management of affairs, but a perfect
409:
Anaximenes, Anaximander's pupil, advanced yet another theory. He returns to the elemental theory, but this time posits air, rather than water, as the arche and ascribes to it divine attributes. He was the first recorded philosopher who provided a theory of change and supported it with observation.
401:
Phys. 150, 22). He probably intended it to mean primarily "indefinite in kind" but assumed it also to be "of unlimited extent and duration". The notion of temporal infinity was familiar to the Greek mind from remote antiquity in the religious conception of immortality and
Anaximander's description
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In every systematic inquiry (methodos) where there are first principles, or causes, or elements, knowledge and science result from acquiring knowledge of these; for we think we know something just in case we acquire knowledge of the primary causes, the primary first principles, all the way to the
346:
Thales of
Miletus (7th to 6th century BC), the father of philosophy, claimed that the first principle of all things is water, and considered it as a substance that contains in it motion and change. His theory was supported by the observation of moisture throughout the world and coincided with his
498:, to systematically doubt everything he could possibly doubt until he was left with what he saw as purely indubitable truths. Using these self-evident propositions as his axioms, or foundations, he went on to deduce his entire body of knowledge from them. The foundations are also called
250:) is an Ancient Greek word with primary senses "beginning", "origin" or "source of action": from the beginning, οr the original argument, "command". The first principle or element corresponds to the "ultimate underlying substance" and "ultimate indemonstrable principle".
262:
already embodied the desire to articulate reality as a whole and this universalizing impulse was fundamental for the first projects of speculative theorizing. It appears that the order of "being" was first imaginatively visualized before it was abstractly thought.
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terms, reasoning or arguments, in that the former are simply assumed and exist prior to the reasoning process and the latter are deduced or inferred after the initial reasoning process. First principles are generally treated in the realm of philosophy known as
95:
in the given arena, before reasoning up by asking which ones are relevant to the question at hand, then cross referencing conclusions based on chosen axioms and making sure conclusions do not violate any fundamental laws.
91:, if it starts directly at the level of established science and does not make assumptions such as empirical model and parameter fitting. "First principles thinking" consists of decomposing things down to the fundamental
450:
The connection between knowledge and first principles is not axiomatic as expressed in
Aristotle's account of a first principle (in one sense) as "the first basis from which a thing is known" (Met. 1013a14–15). For
418:(thinning or thickening), he explains how air is part of a series of changes. Rarefied air becomes fire, condensed it becomes first wind, then cloud, water, earth, and stone in order. The
791:
274:, the primordial world is described as a "watery chaos" from which everything else appeared. This watery chaos has similarities in the cosmogony of the Greek mythographer
460:
references to first principles in this opening passage of the
Physics and at the start of other philosophical inquiries imply that it is a primary task of philosophy.
1324:
146:; its hundreds of geometric propositions can be deduced from a set of definitions, postulates, and common notions: all three types constitute first principles.
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In the mythological cosmogonies of the Near East, the universe is formless and empty and the only existing thing prior to creation was the water abyss. In the
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and later "first principle" or "element". By extension, it may mean "first place", "method of government", "empire, realm", "authorities" The concept of an
437:
When
Aristotle explains in general terms what he tries to do in his philosophical works, he says he is looking for "first principles" (or "origins";
358:
Anaximander argued that water could not be the arche, because it could not give rise to its opposite, fire. Anaximander claimed that none of the
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VOL I, Principles, Preface to the French edition. Author's letter to the translator of the book which may here serve as a preface, p. 181.
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theory that the Earth floated on water. His ideas were influenced by the Near-Eastern mythological cosmogony and probably by the
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that cannot be deduced from any other proposition or assumption. First principles in philosophy are from
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Descartes describes the concept of a first principle in the following excerpt from the preface to the
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The earliest Pre-Socratic philosophers, the Ionian material monists, sought to explain all of nature (
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within a set of approximations that do not include fitting the model to experimental data is an
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and the Habit of the First
Principle in Thomas Aquinas (New York: Einsiedler Press, 2019)
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that cannot be deduced from any other within that system. The classic example is that of
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and Chaos and made in divine Aether a silvery egg, from which everything else appeared.
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that some of the statements can be deduced from other statements. For example, in the
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The phrase: "Divine is that which had no beginning, neither end" is attributed to
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and other sciences, theoretical work is said to be from first principles, or
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for that which writers from
Aristotle onwards called "the substratum" (
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was "the first principle of the philosophy of which I was in search."
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In philosophy "first principles" are often somewhat synonymous with
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truths. His most famous proposition is "Je pense, donc je suis" (
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Among the material monists were the three
Milesian philosophers:
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893:) where are the roots and the ends of the Earth, sky, sea and
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58:, and nuanced versions of first principles are referred to as
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is called "eternal and ageless". (Hippolitus I,6, I;DK B2)
130:"All men are mortal; Socrates is a man; Socrates is mortal"
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This is described as a large windy-gap, almost unlimited (
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is technically what underlies all of reality/appearances.
1062:
A Presocratics Reader: Selected Fragments and Testimonia
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325:, who believed that everything was composed of water;
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289:(8th to 7th century BC), the origin of the world is
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The internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Anaximenes
904:. Translation H.G.Evelyn White (1914): 116, 736-744
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402:was in terms appropriate to this conception. This
132:the last claim can be deduced from the first two.
355:(ocean) is the source of all springs and rivers.
393:Anaximander was the first philosopher that used
1020:G.S. Kirk, J.E. Raven and M. Schofield (2003).
852:. Cambridge University Press. pp. 58, 59.
529:
435:
164:terms and arguments, which are contrasted to
8:
1177:C.S.Kirk, J.E.Raven and M.Schofield (2003).
1106:G.S.Kirk, J.E.Raven and M.Schofield (2003).
954:G.S.Kirk, J.E.Raven and M.Schofield (2003).
120:that are consistent with one another, it is
695:First cause | philosophy | Britannica.com
686:, (New York: The Macmillan Co., 1966), 14.
669:First cause | philosophy | Britannica.com
154:In philosophy "first principles" are from
1134:William Keith Chambers Guthrie (2000).
1078:William Keith Chambers Guthrie (2000).
914:William Keith Chambers Guthrie (2000).
846:William Keith Chambers Guthrie (2000).
662:
100:include counterintuitive concepts with
77:, first principles are referred to as
1325:Concepts in the philosophy of science
234:before being formalized as a part of
175:, but are an important factor in any
7:
879:. Clarendon Press. pp. 104–107.
226:, through the physical theories of
490:system of philosophy. He used the
158:attitudes commonly referred to as
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995:The Beginnings of Western Science
873:West, Martin Litchfield (1984).
739:
699: › topic › first-cause
673: › topic › first-cause
544:
410:Using two contrary processes of
1049:Comments on Aristotle's Physics
351:statement that the surrounding
27:Basic proposition or assumption
1183:. Cambridge University Press.
1140:. Cambridge University Press.
1112:. Cambridge University Press.
1084:. Cambridge University Press.
1026:. Cambridge University Press.
960:. Cambridge University Press.
920:. Cambridge University Press.
580:, a calculation is said to be
246:sometimes also transcribed as
214:was adapted from the earliest
1:
1208:Presocratic Philosophy. Vol 3
1180:The Pre-socratic Philosophers
1137:A History of Greek Philosophy
1109:The Pre-socratic Philosophers
1081:A History of Greek Philosophy
1051:(24, 13).<DK 12 A9, B1>
1023:The Pre-socratic Philosophers
917:A History of Greek Philosophy
849:A History of Greek Philosophy
514:), which he indicated in his
1238:Aristotle's First Principles
1068:, 1996), pp. 9, 11 & 14.
957:The Presocratic Philosophers
821:Presocratic Philosophy vol.3
601:For example, calculation of
999:University of Chicago Press
390:of Hesiod (yawning abyss).
317:) in terms of one unifying
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779:
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697:https://www.britannica.com
671:https://www.britannica.com
646:Clean room implementation
474:Profoundly influenced by
1205:Barry Sandywell (1996).
818:Barry Sandywell (1996).
524:Principles of Philosophy
202:Ancient Greek philosophy
196:Ancient Greek philosophy
135:A first principle is an
54:attitudes and taught by
1320:Metaphysical principles
1242:Oxford University Press
797:A Greek-English Lexicon
516:Discourse on the Method
506:I think, therefore I am
297:cosmogony, the unaging
228:Pre-Socratic philosophy
1211:. Routledge New York.
984:-Metaph.A, 983, b6ff).
901:The Theogony of Hesiod
824:. Routledge New York.
808:Peters Lexicon:1967:23
607:Schrödinger's equation
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329:, who believed it was
258:The heritage of Greek
1277:Orestes J. Gonzalez,
582:from first principles
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993:Lindberg, David C.,
603:electronic structure
254:Mythical cosmogonies
116:, that is, a set of
1305:Concepts in physics
276:Pherecydes of Syros
190:axiomatic reasoning
1161:Daniel.W.Graham.
1066:Hackett Publishing
1001:, 2010), pp. 28–9.
556:. You can help by
278:. In the mythical
81:or postulates. In
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626:Abstraction
484:rationalist
412:rarefaction
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272:Enuma Elish
236:metaphysics
216:cosmogonies
156:first cause
102:reiteration
71:mathematics
52:first cause
44:proposition
42:is a basic
1294:Categories
1240:. Oxford:
657:References
631:Brute fact
537:In physics
399:Simplicius
337:Anaximenes
268:Babylonian
150:Philosophy
98:Physicists
60:postulates
48:assumption
32:philosophy
982:Aristotle
612:ab initio
587:ab initio
565:July 2023
480:Descartes
470:Descartes
453:Aristotle
426:Aristotle
301:produced
283:cosmogony
260:mythology
240:Aristotle
141:Euclid's
126:syllogism
88:ab initio
1236:(1988).
1096:p 55, 77
895:Tartarus
780:ἐξ ἀρχῆς
620:See also
614:approach
527:(1644):
501:a priori
433:writes:
360:elements
185:a priori
161:a priori
143:Elements
122:possible
64:Kantians
899:online
836:p.28,42
641:Present
596:fitting
578:physics
384:Apeiron
380:apeiron
353:Oceanus
349:Homeric
341:science
332:apeiron
299:Chronos
224:Orphism
83:physics
36:science
1248:
1215:
1187:
1144:
1116:
1088:
1030:
964:
943:Thales
924:
856:
828:
684:Ethics
605:using
482:was a
476:Euclid
455:, the
439:archai
335:; and
323:Thales
319:arche.
315:physis
303:Aether
295:Orphic
287:Hesiod
220:Hesiod
93:axioms
79:axioms
1195:p 144
1124:p 110
891:abyss
725:ἀρχαί
592:model
584:, or
508:, or
457:arche
420:arche
404:arche
395:arche
388:chaos
376:water
364:earth
291:Chaos
280:Greek
248:arkhé
244:Arche
232:Plato
212:arche
207:arche
137:axiom
1246:ISBN
1213:ISBN
1185:ISBN
1152:p 83
1142:ISBN
1114:ISBN
1086:ISBN
1028:ISBN
972:p.24
962:ISBN
932:p 83
922:ISBN
854:ISBN
826:ISBN
792:ἀρχή
766:ἀρχή
594:and
414:and
368:fire
230:and
222:and
73:and
38:, a
34:and
747:ɑːr
576:In
560:.
441:):
372:air
285:of
238:by
218:of
200:In
69:In
62:by
46:or
30:In
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478:,
374:,
370:,
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242:.
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744:ˈ
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