Selfevidens

Selfevidens is a term used to describe something that is so obvious or clear that it does not require proof or explanation. It is often considered to be self-apparent or intuitively understood. The concept of selfevidens can be found in various fields, including philosophy, logic, and everyday language.

In philosophy, selfevidens propositions are often referred to as axioms or first principles. These are foundational truths upon which other knowledge is built. For example, the statement "a thing cannot both be and not be at the same time and in the same respect" is often considered selfevidens in logic. Such statements are not derived from other statements but are accepted as true on their own merit.

In everyday language, something selfevidens might be a statement that is so readily understood that attempting to explain it further would be redundant. For instance, if someone points to a bright sun in a clear sky and states "it is daytime," that statement would be considered selfevidens. The truth of the statement is immediately apparent from the observable circumstances.

The concept of selfevidens can be subjective, as what one person finds obvious, another may not. This can depend on individual knowledge, experience, and background. However, there are certain propositions that are widely accepted as selfevidens across different cultures and individuals due to their fundamental nature or immediate empirical verification. The reliability and universality of what is considered selfevidens are often debated in epistemology, the study of knowledge.