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Philosophy vocabulary · Core Concepts

Posit

Meaning in philosophy, with examples

/ˈpɒzɪt/verbCommon term

In philosophy, posit means: To put forward something as true or as existing, usually as the basis for an argument or to explain something, without first proving it.

In Turkish: varsaymak, öne sürmek, koymak

How it is used

Very common in philosophical writing: theories posit entities (Descartes posits a non-physical mind). It is also a noun for something assumed in a theory (theoretical posits). More formal than suggest or assume.

Example sentences

  1. Plato posits a realm of unchanging Forms to explain how knowledge is possible.

  2. We shouldn't posit new entities unless they do real explanatory work.

Common collocations

  • posit an entity
  • posit the existence of
  • theoretical posit
  • posit a mechanism
  • claimA statement that someone puts forward as true and is ready to defend, often the main point that an essay or argument tries to support.
  • ontologyThe part of metaphysics that studies what exists and what basic kinds of things there are, such as objects, properties, events or numbers.
  • Occam's razorThe principle that we should not assume more entities or causes than we need: among competing explanations, prefer the simplest one that works.
  • premiseA statement that is given as a reason in an argument and from which the conclusion is supposed to follow.

More terms: Core Concepts

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