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I am currently working on an essay that explores the concept of a priori knowledge and whether or not it can exist. I would love to hear any thoughts or opinions on this topic that anyone may have.

From my understanding, a priori knowledge is knowledge that can be known independently of experience or empirical evidence. It is often contrasted with a posteriori knowledge, which is knowledge that can only be known through experience or observation.

My initial thought is that a priori knowledge may exist in certain cases, such as in mathematics or logical reasoning. For example, the statement "2+2=4" can be known without any empirical evidence or experience, and is therefore a priori knowledge. However, I am unsure if this applies to other areas of knowledge, such as ethics or metaphysics.

I would greatly appreciate any insights or perspectives on this topic that anyone may have. Thank you in advance for your help!

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    See A Priorism in Moral Epistemology.
    – Mauro ALLEGRANZA
    Mar 23 at 10:12
  • @MauroALLEGRANZA Thank you. Would you say there are other good examples of a priori knowledge?
    – cricket900
    Mar 23 at 10:29
  • Morals are socially defined rules (if my group tells that it is bad to eat chicken, I must not; and if I do it, it is evidently an immoral act, even I I think it's moral: it is the group that determines moral rules). Therefore they are empirical knowledge. Therefore, a posteriori.
    – RodolfoAP
    Mar 23 at 11:11
  • As another perspective, I would argue that a priori knowledge gives an individual an evolutionary advantage over an individual without it. The more knowledge you are born with, the better your chances of success. Yet it seems that humans are born mostly blank. A priori knowledge is a detriment under a constantly changing world. Better to be flexible.
    – user64314
    Mar 23 at 16:42
  • @StevanV.Saban Yes, more capability with less inborn requires a longer training period. I often wonder if modern culture will eventually require more preparation time than people can spare in learning it? Then society would fragment into specialist areas... Maybe it's already happened? We outdeveloped our intelligence?
    – Scott Rowe
    Mar 23 at 17:25

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