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Single Idea 5413
[filed under theme 12. Knowledge Sources / A. A Priori Knowledge / 2. Self-Evidence
]
Full Idea
Particular instances are more self-evident than general principles; for example, the law of contradiction is evident as soon as it is understood, but it is not as evident as that a particular rose cannot be both red and not red.
Gist of Idea
Particular instances are more clearly self-evident than any general principles
Source
Bertrand Russell (Problems of Philosophy [1912], Ch.11)
Book Ref
Russell,Bertrand: 'The Problems of Philosophy' [OUP 1995], p.65
A Reaction
This seems to true about nearly all reasoning, because whenever we are faced with a general principle for assessment, we check it by testing it against a series of particular instances, and try to think of contradictory particular counterexamples.
The
23 ideas
with the same theme
[knowledge that is immediately grasped or obvious]:
483
|
Start a thesis with something undisputable
[Diogenes of Apollonia]
|
23356
|
Self-evidence is most obvious when people who deny a proposition still have to use it
[Epictetus]
|
21249
|
Some things are self-evident to us; others are only self-evident in themselves
[Aquinas]
|
22128
|
Augustine's 'illumination' theory of knowledge leads to nothing but scepticism
[Duns Scotus, by Dumont]
|
24025
|
Clear and distinct truths must be known all at once (unlike deductions)
[Descartes]
|
21253
|
Descartes needs to demonstrate how other people can attain his clear and distinct conceptions
[Leibniz]
|
23635
|
Truths are self-evident to sensible persons who understand them clearly without prejudice
[Reid]
|
9348
|
Experienceless bodies have space; propertyless bodies have substance; this must be seen a priori
[Kant]
|
8657
|
Mathematicians just accept self-evidence, whether it is logical or intuitive
[Frege]
|
16887
|
Frege's concept of 'self-evident' makes no reference to minds
[Frege, by Burge]
|
22205
|
Feelings of self-evidence (and necessity) are just the inventions of theory
[Husserl]
|
21216
|
Husserl says we have intellectual intuitions (of categories), as well as of the senses
[Husserl, by Velarde-Mayol]
|
7554
|
Self-evidence is often a mere will-o'-the-wisp
[Russell]
|
5413
|
Particular instances are more clearly self-evident than any general principles
[Russell]
|
5412
|
Some propositions are self-evident, but their implications may also be self-evident
[Russell]
|
5415
|
As shown by memory, self-evidence comes in degrees
[Russell]
|
5416
|
If self-evidence has degrees, we should accept the more self-evident as correct
[Russell]
|
16907
|
If the truth doesn't follow from self-evidence, then self-evidence cannot justify a truth
[Wittgenstein]
|
9379
|
A sentence is obvious if it is true, and any speaker of the language will instantly agree to it
[Quine]
|
8887
|
It is hard to give the concept of 'self-evident' a clear and defensible characterization
[Bonjour]
|
13480
|
Fregean self-evidence is an intrinsic property of basic truths, rules and definitions
[Hart,WD]
|
6414
|
Two propositions might seem self-evident, but contradict one another
[Grayling]
|
9597
|
There are 'armchair' truths which are not a priori, because experience was involved
[Williamson]
|