self-evident truth
The Declaration of Independence states that all men are created equal is a self-evident truth.
Noun: A statement or proposition that is considered to be obviously and universally true without needing further proof or justification. It is a fundamental starting point for reasoning or argument.
This term is used to describe a foundational idea or principle that is accepted as inherently true. It often serves as an axiom in philosophical, logical, or political discourse. * The phrase "We hold these truths to be self-evident" introduces foundational principles in the U.S. Declaration of Independence. * In geometry, the statement "a straight line is the shortest distance between two points" is often treated as a self-evident truth. * His entire argument was built upon the self-evident truth that all people desire happiness.
- Philosophical Context: In epistemology, a self-evident truth is a proposition that is known to be true by understanding its meaning alone (e.g., "All bachelors are unmarried").
- Critical Examination: While called "self-evident," such truths can be culturally or historically specific and are sometimes challenged upon deeper analysis.
- Axiom (n): A statement or principle that is established, accepted, or self-evidently true, often used in mathematics and logic.
- Truism (n): A statement that is obviously true and says nothing new or interesting (can sometimes imply the truth is trivial).
- Postulate (n): A thing suggested or assumed as true as the basis for reasoning, especially in logic and mathematics.
- Basic assumption
- Fundamental truth
- Given
- First principle
- Dubious claim
- Questionable assertion
- Controversial proposition
- Taken as a given: Accepted as true without proof or discussion.
- In their economic model, rational consumer behavior is taken as a given.
The Declaration of Independence states that all men are created equal is a self-evident truth.
- an assumption that is basic to an argument