Autothetic

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Describing something that establishes or asserts its own existence or validity through its own act, without depending on an outside source
2. Relating to a thing that posits itself, affirming its own being or truth by the very fact of its occurrence
3. Characterizing a claim or existence that is self-established, grounded in its own assertion rather than in external proof

Etymology: "Autothetic" is a philosophical term, and its history is mostly a matter of Greek building blocks put together in the 19th century. It is formed from "autos", meaning "self", and "thetikos", meaning "placing" or "positing", from "tithenai", "to place" or "to set down". Put together, the sense is something that sets itself down or establishes itself. The adjective is usually traced to the German philosopher Franz Brentano's school, where "autothetic" was used for a claim or truth that needs no external proof because it is self-evident in the act of being stated or perceived. The term belongs to the vocabulary of 19th- and early 20th-century philosophy rather than to ancient Greek, even though its parts are Greek. Its English use is largely confined to specialist writing, and the exact dating of its first appearance in English is uncertain.