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infinite regress

American  

noun

Philosophy.
  1. causal or logical relationship of terms in a series without the possibility of a term initiating the series.


Etymology

Origin of infinite regress

First recorded in 1830–40


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

In order to avoid an infinite regress, we must assume an unmoved mover who put all the entities into motion.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 15, 2022

A motif of rectangles that evokes Josef Albers’s “Homage to the Square” suggests infinite regress.

From New York Times ● Aug. 26, 2021

This is the problem of infinite regress, which bedevils all who try to explain why there is something rather than nothing.

From Scientific American ● Sep. 7, 2019

Others include LEDs and mirrors configured to create the illusion of infinite regress.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2017

Our familiar universe of galaxies and stars, planets and people, would be a single elementary particle in the next universe up, the first step of another infinite regress.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

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