Aprioristic

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Grounded in preconceived notions rather than direct observation, this term relates to ideas that are established without firsthand knowledge or factual proof
2. It refers to beliefs or theories that are accepted before any practical experience or empirical validation is undertaken
3. Relating to knowledge or reasoning founded on theories or assumptions prior to experience

Etymology: "Aprioristic" is a plain English compound: the Latin phrase "a priori", meaning "from what comes before", joined to the suffix "-istic", which turns a noun or phrase into an adjective describing something characteristic of it. The phrase itself is Latin and entered English philosophical writing as a term for reasoning that proceeds from general principles to particular conclusions rather than from observed experience. Adding "-istic" creates an adjective describing a belief or theory held in that way. The suffix carries a longer history than the base phrase. "-istic" descends from Ancient Greek "-istikos", formed from "-istēs", an agent ending, combined with "-ikos", an adjective-forming ending. It passed into Latin, then Old French, and reached English through Middle English. Its route is layered: several separate Greek and Latin endings were fused into one familiar English suffix. Its use with "a priori" is a modern English coinage, built on the philosophical vocabulary that grew up around Kant's distinction between knowledge gained independently of experience and knowledge gained through it. The word is most often used critically, to describe a stance that assumes its conclusions before testing them.

Synonyms: deductive, theoretical

Antonyms: empirical, inductive