Terms used to distinguish concepts existing in the mind independently of, and hence before (a priori), any experience from those only formed on the basis of, and so after (a posteriori), the experiences to which they relate. Immanuel Kant, in particular, held that it is only in terms of a priori ideas that we can make sense of experience; by contrast empiricists, such as John Locke, contended that all concept-formation was contingent upon, and so a posteriori to, experience.
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Spurway, N. (2013). A Priori/A Posteriori. In: Runehov, A.L.C., Oviedo, L. (eds) Encyclopedia of Sciences and Religions. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-8265-8_200088
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