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Infinite regress
 
 
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An infinite regress in a series of propositions arises if the truth of proposition P1 requires the support of proposition P2, and for any proposition in the series Pn, the truth of Pn requires the support of the truth of Pn+1. There would never be adequate support for P1, because the infinite sequence needed to provide such support could not be completed.

Distinction is made between infinite regresses that are "vicious" and those that are not.






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An infinite regress in a series of propositions arises if the truth of proposition P1 requires the support of proposition P2, and for any proposition in the series Pn, the truth of Pn requires the support of the truth of Pn+1. There would never be adequate support for P1, because the infinite sequence needed to provide such support could not be completed.

Distinction is made between infinite regresses that are "vicious" and those that are not. One definition given is that a vicious regress is "an attempt to solve a problem which re-introduced the same problem in the proposed solution. If one continues along the same lines, the initial problem will recur infinitely and will never be solved. Not all regresses, however, are vicious."

The infinite regress forms one of the three parts of the Münchhausen Trilemma.

Aristotle's answer

Aristotle argued that knowing doesn't necessitate an infinite regress because some knowledge does not depend on demonstration:

Consciousness

Infinite regress in Consciousness
Consciousness

Consciousness is a difficult term to define, because the word is used and understood in a wide variety of ways, so that it frequently happens that what one person sees as a definition of consciousness is seen by others as about something else altogether....
 is the formation of an infinite series of "inner observers" as we ask the question of who is observing the output of the neural correlates of consciousness
Neural correlates of consciousness

The Neural Correlates of Consciousness can be defined as the minimal neuronal mechanisms jointly sufficient for any one specific conscious percept ....
 in the study of subjective consciousness.

Optics

Infinite regress in optics
Optics

Optics is the study of the behavior and properties of light including its optical phenomena with matter and its imaging by optical instruments....
 is the formation of an infinite series of receding images created in two parallel
Parallel

From Greek language: pa???????? Parallel may refer to:...
 facing mirror
Mirror

A mirror is an object with one surface polished, which leads to reflection and another opaque. The most familiar type of mirror is the plane mirror, which has a flat surface....
s.

See also

  • Cosmological argument
    Cosmological argument

    The cosmological argument is an argument for the existence of a First Cause to the universe, and by extension is often used as an argument for the existence of God....
  • Regress argument
    Regress argument

    The regress argument is a problem in epistemology and, in general, a problem in any situation where a statement has to be justified.According to this argument, any proposition requires a justification....
  • Turtles all the way down
    Turtles all the way down

    "Turtles all the way down" refers to an infinite regression belief about cosmology, the nature of the universe. The analogy has similarities to some ancient beliefs that the world is borne through the universe on the back of one or more enormous animals , though these myths do not necessarily include an infinity aspect or multiple/endless lay...
  • Münchhausen Trilemma and Fallibilism
    Fallibilism

    Fallibilism is the philosophical doctrine that all claims of knowledge could, in principle, be mistaken. Some fallibilists go further, arguing that absolute certainty about knowledge is impossible....
  • Self-evidence
    Self-evidence

    In epistemology , a self-evident proposition is one that is known to be true by understanding its meaning without Logical argument.Some epistemologists deny that any proposition can be self-evident....