BACK TO a priori
a priori vs. a posteriori
[ ey prahy-awr-ahy, -ohr-ahy, ey pree-awr-ee, -ohr-ee, ah pree-awr-ee, -ohr-ee ]
adjective
- from a general law to a particular instance; valid independently of observation.
- existing in the mind prior to and independent of experience, as a faculty or character trait.
- not based on prior study or examination; nonanalytic: an a priori judgment.
[ ey po-steer-ee-awr-ahy, -ohr-ahy, -awr-ee, -ohr-ee ]
adjective
- from particular instances to a general principle or law; based upon actual observation or upon experimental data: an a posteriori argument that derives the theory from the evidence.
- not existing in the mind prior to or independent of experience.