Unívociteit

Unívociteit is a philosophical and linguistic concept that refers to the property of a term or expression having exactly one, unambiguous meaning. In contrast, equivociteit refers to a term or expression with multiple possible meanings, and analogiciteit refers to a term with related but distinct meanings. The principle of unívociteit is important in fields such as logic, philosophy, and law, where clarity and precision of language are crucial.

In logic, unívociteit ensures that propositions are not open to misinterpretation. If a term is used univocally, its meaning remains constant throughout an argument, preventing fallacies that arise from shifting definitions. For example, if the term "all" is used univocally, it consistently refers to every member of a set. If it were used equivocally, it might sometimes mean "all" and other times "most," invalidating deductive reasoning.

In philosophy, particularly in metaphysics, the concept of unívociteit has been debated in relation to divine attributes. Some philosophers argue that terms used to describe God, such as "good" or "wise," must be understood univocally to have true meaning. Others contend that divine attributes are analogical, meaning they are similar to but not identical with human attributes. The strict adherence to unívociteit implies that a concept must be understood in precisely the same way when applied to different subjects, which can be problematic when discussing entities or concepts that are radically different from everyday experience.