Just Because I Keep Forgetting This

I have always been confused with the difference between a priori and a posteriori so here goes my way of distinguishing them:

Something is knowable a priori if it can be known by a person without experiencing it. Something is knowable a posteriori if you have to experience it in order to know it. For example, if you say that all bachelors are unmarried, that is a priori. If you say that it is raining outside now, that is a posteriori.

A person who knows (a priori) that “All bachelors are unmarried” doesn’t have to experience bachelorhood in order know it. On the other hand, if I say that “It is raining outside,” I should have a previosu experience with rains in order to know for sure that it is indeed raining.

Published by

Unknown's avatar

Jojo Agot

Pastor at Victory. Faculty and adviser at Every Nation Leadership Institute (ENLI). MA in Theology and Mission at Every Nation Seminary.