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Single Idea 5413

[from 'Problems of Philosophy' by Bertrand Russell, in 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 Reference

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.