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A Priori

Knowledge is described as being a priori if it can be known without empirical evidence. An a priori conclusion can can be achieved via principles of reason and logic alone, starting from a set of general, abstract premises.

The possibility of a priori knowledge is an issue of dispute in philosophy. Mathematics and logic are often referred to in defense of the a priori because, it is argued, they do not rely on observation or experience for validation. Indeed, the necessary truths that emerge from these disiplines can be viewed as being quintessential a priori truths.

On the other side of the debate are the strict empiricists who argue that all knowledge is a posteriori .

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