philosophy

What is a priori

What is a priori
What is a priori

Video: What are 'A priori & A posteriori?' - Gentleman Thinker 2024, June

Video: What are 'A priori & A posteriori?' - Gentleman Thinker 2024, June
Anonim

What is a priori? This is a philosophical term that has sufficient significance in the theory of human cognition. It defines knowledge, independent of all experience, inherent in consciousness from the beginning. That is, the a priori finding of truth is achieved not by experience, but intellectually-intuitively, on a soul level.

Image

Various dictionaries and encyclopedias provide information that there is a posteriori knowledge that is absolutely opposite to what is considered. The concept of “what is a priori” was known even under Aristotle. Knowing things from their target causes is a priori knowledge, that is, knowing the premises of the action being performed.

The meaning of the term "a priori" was changed by Leibniz. He suggested that knowledge of things is complete only if it goes back to higher causes. Leibniz called these findings "eternal truths." After that, the meaning of "a priori" was equated with speculative and self-evident knowledge, without any prerequisites.

This concept was introduced into German science by Wolf, from its submission it later began to be used by Kant. In the introduction to the work of I. Kant, “Critique of Pure Reason”, it speaks of intelligence and its essential origin. The great philosopher wrote that all our knowledge begins entirely with experience and follows with it. He believed that things are capable of awakening in man a certain internal activity of the search for truth, thereby hurting our sensuality. Following all of the above, we can conclude that even the knowledge obtained experimentally usually consists of all that is perceived by a person through spiritual qualities. Our educational ability, which is prompted only by sensory impressions, gives rise to any intellect.

Image

Both experimental and inexperienced studies are the result of the human ability to manifest cognitive activity. What "a priori" is what Kant thinks first of all. But in the future, he will call the initial only knowledge that is able to not depend on any experience as a whole. As a result, the philosopher identifies "pure a priori" knowledge. Those in which there is absolutely nothing empirical. Moreover, they have the necessary, universal character. To them, Kant assigned a group of scientific knowledge. Their receipt, in his opinion, over time became the main goal of human knowledge. This collection includes various laws, principles, hypotheses, etc.

Image

Thus, the essence of Kantian a priori was to emphasize one fact. According to which, every person who begins the process of cognition has pre-existing forms that give character to the desired ideal. Kant thought for a long time precisely about what a priori and about the whole theory as a whole. As a result, he identified 4 forms into which this term can be divided: categories of quantity, quality, modality and relations.

The encyclopedia, the dictionary is interpreted "a priori" as "knowledge that is originally inherent in consciousness, given to experience and not dependent on it." Such forms of reason and sensuality help to streamline the chaotic knowledge gained from the experience of personal feelings.