Synthetic
Example: The philosopher argued that synthetic judgments extend our knowledge beyond experience.
Definition
"Synthetic" in philosophy refers to judgments or propositions that add new information to our knowledge by connecting concepts in a way not contained within the subject alone, often extending understanding beyond mere definitions or analytic truths.
Etymology
The word "synthetic" originates from the Greek word 'synthetikos,' meaning 'put together' or 'combined.' It entered English in the 17th century, initially relating to chemistry and logic, reflecting the idea of combining elements to form something new. Did you know that in philosophy, the distinction between synthetic and analytic judgments was famously discussed by Immanuel Kant?
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"Synthetic" appears in the Vocaplus list "English - Philosophy - (C2) - set 1", containing 120 commonly used words.
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