praecisio

Praecisio is a rarely used neologism in scholarly writing, not established in major dictionaries or encyclopedias. The term appears in a small number of publications in philosophy and cognitive science, where it is employed to denote an anticipatory or preemptive form of judgment or decision, in which a conclusion is fixed before complete evidence or options have been fully evaluated. It is not widely codified and definitions vary across authors.

Etymology: The word seems to be formed from Latin prae- meaning before and a root resembling caedere, “to cut,” conveying a sense of “cutting before” or pre-emptive action. However, praecisio is not attested in classical Latin; its use here reflects modern neologistic practice to describe a speculative concept.

Usage: In discussions where it occurs, praecisio contrasts with deliberative processes that postpone commitment until more data are gathered. It can be invoked in debates about rationality, bias, or the limits of inference, sometimes paired with considerations of priors or precommitments. Because the term is not standardized, readers should consult the specific work for a working definition.

See also: a priori, preemption, precommitment, decision theory, inference.