ab esse

American  

[ahb-es-se, ab-es-ee] / ɑbˈɛs sɛ, æbˈɛs i /

Latin.

1. (in logic and philosophy) from existence, as used in the Latin phrase ab esse ad posse valet consequentia, meaning “From the fact that something exists, it follows that it is possible.”

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Example Sentences

Esse substantiæ non dependet ab esse alterius sicut ei inhærens, licet omnia dependeant a Deo sicut a causa prima.”—St.

From Project Gutenberg

It is a very important axiom of the schoolmen in this case—that, a posse ad esse non valet consequentia, you can draw no inference from the possibility of a thing to its reality, but that, in the reverse order, ab esse ad posse, the inference is inevitable: if it is, or if it ever has been—then of necessity it can be.

From Project Gutenberg