Knowledge and Reality

Throughout philosophical theories, a priori and posteriori are two Latin words, which are used to describe or ignore experiential or observational proof, forms of facts, reasoning, or claim. Awareness, explanations, or claims that arise independently of experience are known as a priori. Awareness, justifications, or claims which rely on experience or empirical facts are posteriori. Previous to subjective perception, a priori, is the focus of information (Hawthorne 2000). For starters, one might shut one’s eyes, deduce the answer of 2 + 2=4, even before heading into the universe and exploring through experiments. It is not necessary for a person to physically experience, that when two birds are standing next to two birds, in totality there are four birds. Rather, this information is understood before every real-world connection on the five senses of the humans. Returning to Plato, a variety of thinkers then claim that before any true understanding of the universe, universal realities like mathematics, reasoning, and morals, and also God's nature, could be innately recognized (Heidegger, 1998).

Rather than turning inward and utilizing the five senses to observe the environment beyond, intelligence is a priori turning unconsciously and focusing on what an individual appears to learn before any actual understanding of the universe. Thus, after a sense of awareness that is gaining a sense of information has been experienced is known as post-secondary knowledge acquired also known as posteriori knowledge. for example, someone could not just shut their eyes, introspect internally and acquire information that on the 15th April 1912, the Titanic sunk to the depth of the Atlantic Ocean or water comprises of hydrogen in two parts and oxygen in one part. In reality, this information can be obtained only by simply heading through the universe, experimenting with our senses, and discovering the truth of the matter (Mahler 1996). Many philosophical thinkers have argued on the existence of the priori knowledge in the universe. This forms the basis of this paper which discusses the various points of the philosophical thinkers on the existence of priori and posteriori knowledge.

Throughout centuries, scholars such as Locke and Hume have argued whether knowledge priori or posteriori would be predominant, with posterior experience of theorists for gaining command during the Scientific Revolution (Kitcher, 1980). Philosophers like Kant argue, however, that prior and posteriori knowledge should work in tandem and that any theory that departs from the equation would be inaccurate (Müller-Merbach 2007). Since priori knowledge is susceptible to the imagination without reference to experience, posteriori knowledge cannot even be gone out of the path except when the brain has previous dimensions in which it can process the human experiences. For example, it may think, how can an individual think about sensory experiences logically, unless we have fundamental logic at the outset.

Priori and posteriori concepts generally applies to how a concept should be understood and on what basis. A hypothesis is usually a priori known because it is established irrespective of knowledge, whereas a concept that is learned later is knowable posteriori which is based on experiential practice. Therefore, the difference between the empirical and non-empirical knowledge is broadly related to the differences between the priori and a posteriori knowledge. Empirical knowledge or empirical evidence is also known as a sensory experience, it is the knowledge that is gained from the senses particularly through the medium of experimentation and observations of the things. Real gaps in scientific expertise over and beyond methodological adequacy are characterized by non-empirical principles. These principles communicate the significance and validation criteria of the theory.

The differentiation between a priori and a posteriori is often extended to items other than places to learn, for example, ideas and claims. A priori hypothesis is that which is established based on a priori knowledge and a priori statement is one of the assumptions of the priori hypothesis (Steup, Turri, and Sosa 2013). Similarly, a posteriori hypothesis is based on posteriori knowledge and a posteriori statement is one of the assumptions of the hypothesis. Concepts have often been exposed to the a priori / a posteriori differentiation. A priori principle is something that could be inherited regardless of experience which can mean that it is instinctive, while a posteriori concept calls for acquiring knowledgeable expertise or practical experiences.

The aspect of the information that directly applies to the priori or posteriori difference is relevant because of the reason or order. Such words are often used here associated with the central portion of knowledge rather than real faith. To claim that a person understands a priori statement is to suggest that his reasoning is independent of practice to believe in this argument. Compared to the conventional understanding of reasoning, to find a justification to think is epistemic to accept it, which is why it is valid (Hawthorne 2002). Therefore, it is reasonable, first of all, in thinking that the idea does not occur or originate from reality, to believe that the statement is valid. To be persuaded posteriori, on the contrary, is to assume that a certain argument, which emerges or occurs from experience, is valid. For example, many ordinary cognitive, memory, introspective convictions, and conviction in a lot of natural science arguments provide a posteriori argument.

It can be said that the presumption that dinosaurs existed, and water comprises of two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen, and people disliking discomfort are all examples of posteriori statements. One of the reasons for considering them as posteriori statements is that the claims come from the experiences of others or a particular individual (Summerfield 1991). However, statements like all bachelors are unmarried, a square has four sides if it is Monday today hence it is not Wednesday today, blue is a color, and so on do not form the part of the posteriori statements. Even though the statements mentioned are true, they have not been derived because of the experience of someone, rather they are considered the truth because of their context and content.

Several philosophers have also compared the analysis to a priori and inference to a posteriori. Certainly, there is a close association between the principles. For example, if the reality of a certain assumption is, say, solely the meaning of its words, it is impossible that understanding of this assumption would entail experience (rational thought alone is usually enough). On the other side, if the validity of a proposition relies on whether the universe works, then empirical research may seem to be essential for understanding of it (Williamson 2013).

The two theories are not similar, even after this close link. Second, an epistemological difference between a priori / a posteriori: it involves whether, or on what grounds, an argument can be understood or legitimately believed. Faith that certain empirical statements can be supported by proof and is thus a posteriori. A person may believe (even though atypical) that a cube has six sides since he knows this belief is commended to him by someone who is a very trustworthy intellectual person. Such a conviction may be a posteriori because the individual obtained the agent's testimony probably from practice assumes that he is trustworthy (Bird 2007). Such a conviction may be a posteriori because the individual obtained the agent's testimony probably from practice assumes that he is trustworthy. For logical agents such as humans, some empirical and some computational ideas can remain unknown. For starters, one may refuse to understand the significance of approval for particular initiatives logically or procedurally. So then, an analytical hypothesis does not mean it is a priori, nor does a computational assumption imply that there is a posteriori.

Many information about whether to believe a previous argument is independent of practice must also be investigated. At least two forms are sometimes defined as not autonomous of interactions. a previous justification. Foremost works on the assumption that before one would assume that an argument can be supported by a requirement, the assertion must be understood. The reason is that the experience of many a priori claims requires the concept to be understood by the people (Kant 1781). Second, even contemporary philosophers agree that a prior argument relies on the negative meaning of reality that often such rationale will weaken, or even lose. It challenges the opinions of a variety of ancient thinkers who have maintained that a priori reason is unfailing. While the infallibility of an earlier argument does not, by itself, mean that this rationale may be corrupted by fact, several contemporary philosophers dispute the infallibility. The priori argument is maybe fallible, but people never thought it was compromised by reality in any specific situation. Moreover, it is following the failure of the a priori justification to undermine or defeat it only with other instances of a priori rationale.

This is, however, a discussion about the essence of knowledge in terms of epistemology. The Rationalist School is a school of thought that contains knowledge that can be gained independently of expertise that is priori knowledge. Through experience, the knowledge should be acquired is claimed by the empiricist camp. But the rigid empiricist wants to ensure that all information is experience-based as the people understand correctly. In other words, there is no priori knowledge as knowledge cannot be obtained separately. The rationalist will, therefore, refer to mathematical science as a priori, for instance, the pi (the proportion between the circumference and diameter of one circle) as any empirical argument may be accomplished without any experiential knowledge. Scientists have no clear contact of anything like pi, even whether they consider pi as a mathematical truth, we have little expertise. But in a priori information is this proven? We must have an understanding of a circle since Pi makes little sense without this framework to recognize or even provide a definition of Pi. But people have to rely on experience-based information to acquire understanding about stuff like pi, and therefore the pi can only be interpreted empirically in certain respects.

Supposing the people are right in their assumptions and even Pi cannot be interpreted experientially or at least inferred from posteriori knowledge, are there any explanations or rational conclusions that could be made from an excluded experience or a sort of experience-based knowledge? Some people are very restricted in their understanding of the sciences, but according to them certain calculations or mathematical evidence don't sound straightforward that the rationalist school will accept and save a priori. It can be said that even exceedingly abstract mathematics is important only in the sense of the physical or real-world and experience-based knowledge. Math is, after all, a functional science used for interpreting theories and challenges in the natural world, which tend to rely on established methods (Kitcher 1980). The hard-core empiricists believe that only through the experiential experience will both ideas and facts about the priori and posteriori be understood and known, thus what should be the logical approach for this?

The basic formula to understand the priori and posteriori statement would be as follows:

  • For the priori knowledge to exist, there should be assumptions or statements which exist independently of the experience or practice.

When only extremely theoretical principles and theories, like those used/recognized in scientific sciences (or other) may be generalized to real-life situations such as Pi which is deduced from such definitions as the circles and the points of such circles (Bonjour and Laurence 1998). Thus, proving that the theoretical definitions are experience-based and therefore not a priori.

Thus, if the ideas and concepts rely on the experiences, then the priori knowledge does not exist.

The acceptance of the following theories provides a popular reason why there is no prior knowledge that no belief is immune to revision, let's call the Revisability Thesis that thesis. In the philosophy of the 20th century, the thesis, well-established by W V Quine (1961), has dramatically affected the demise of logical positivism and is still central to much contemporary discourse. The nature of priori information is a subject of controversy. One who argues that if no faith is a priori resistant to a review, automatically implies that it is irreversible because convictions are founded in advance. And it follows that no faith is a priori justified if both of these claims are true. There is no prior knowledge if no belief is justified a priori. The majority of the beliefs of the people seem to be epistemically (and modally) in particular. Besides, it is more than the simple conviction that the certainty they hold a priori truths cannot fail to be true (Casullo 2003).

The problem of 'How is rational consistency feasible' is cited by Quine (1975) "Whereas the query 'Why a priori is information feasible is less tenderness and rational than that?”. Nevertheless, that should not imply that the psychological aspect of such rational realities has to be compensated for, even though its answer is quite psychological. The argument is that the obvious disparity between modal and epistemic situations, which conceptual and empirical experiences tend to embrace, needs to be taken into consideration.

The rational affirmative reaction to the query of Quine: "How can the reasonable certainty be gained? " The moral fact by definition was valid and so people should never dispute it. Such truths were thought to be true, too; and since it is thought that they lacked actual information, nothing could override them, they were true by understanding the meanings of their meanings (Quine 1969). The a priori logically positivistic account is a compromise of two seemingly inconsistent claims: (i) that knowledge is a priori, and (ii) all knowledge is based on understanding and past experiences. Quine advocated a resolute empiricism. Using the empiricism of Quine, we may deny a priori and at the same time justify the apparent epistemic and modal disparity between quantitative and logical facts.

This should then be concluded that there is no prior knowledge, contrary to a common claim regarding prior knowledge, since there was no certainty that was immune to a review, so if a prior knowledge was, it would be inaccessible with at least certain convictions. Therefore, there is no priori knowledge.

References for Knowledge and Reality

Bird, A., 2007. A posteriori knowledge of natural kind essences: A defense. Philosophical Topics35(1/2), pp.293-312.

BonJour, L. and Laurence, B., 1998. In defense of pure reason: A rationalist account of a priori justification. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press.

Casullo, A., 2003. A priori justification.United Kingdom: Oxford University Press.

Hawthorne, J., 2000. Implicit belief and a priori knowledge. The Southern journal of philosophy38(Supplement), pp.191-210.

Hawthorne, J., 2002. Deeply contingent a priori knowledge. Philosophy and phenomenological research65(2), pp.247-269.

Heidegger, M., 1998. Plato’s doctrine of truth. Pathmarks, pp.155-182.

Kitcher, P., 1980. A priori knowledge. The philosophical review89(1), pp.3-23.

Mahler, R. P. 1996. Combining ambiguous evidence with respect to ambiguous a priori knowledge. I. Boolean logic. IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics-Part A: Systems and Humans26(1), pp. 27-41.

Müller-Merbach, H., 2007. Kant's two paths of knowledge creation: a priori vs a posteriori. Knowledge Management Research & Practice5(1), pp.64-65.

Quine, W.V. 1961. Two dogmas of empiricism. In From a Logical Point of View, 2nd edn. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

Quine, W.V. 1969. Epistemology naturalized. In Ontological Relativity and Other Essays. New York: Random House.

Quine, W.V. 1975. The nature of natural knowledge. In Mind and Language, ed. S. Guttenplan. Oxford: Clarendon Press.

Steup, M., Turri, J. and Sosa, E. eds., 2013. Contemporary debates in epistemology. John Wiley & Sons.

Summerfield, D.M., 1991. Modest a priori knowledge. Philosophy and Phenomenological Research51(1), pp.39-66.

Williamson, T., 2013. between A Priori and A Posteriori Knowledge?. The a priori in philosophy, p.291.

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