Summary
*Light in August* by William Faulkner does not present a single central argument; the provided passages are not from Faulkner's novel but from the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica, covering entries on "A Priori," "Abraham," and "Abelard." The text examines the philosophical distinction between a priori (independent of experience) and a posteriori (derived from observation) judgments, noting that "the rival schools are generally arguing at cross purposes" and that both forms of knowledge "work in different spheres, and are complementary." It also recounts the biblical figure Abraham as "the founder of religion" and "the recipient of the promises," whose narratives represent him as "an idealized sheikh" and ancestor of Israelites and neighboring tribes. Additionally, it discusses the medieval philosopher Abelard, emphasizing his role in fixing "the scholastic manner of philosophizing" and preparing "the ascendancy of the philosophical authority of Aristotle." A reader takes away an understanding of these distinct encyclopedic topics, not a unified literary work.
Key concepts
- A priori — Judgments regarded as independent of experience and belonging to the essence of thought.
- A posteriori — Judgments derived from particular observations, giving strong probability but not necessity.
- Synthetic Judgment a priori — Kant's concept of a synthesis of a priori judgments, combining intellectual form with empirical content.
- Intuitionalist — A philosopher who holds that knowledge is based on a priori, intellectual elements.
- Empiricist — A philosopher who holds that knowledge is derived from particular observations and denies absolute laws.
- Scholastic manner of philosophizing — Abelard's method of giving a formally rational expression to received ecclesiastical doctrine.
From the book
For other versions of this work, see Encyclopædia Britannica . ← 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica ( 1911 ) Title page → related portals : Reference Works Shortcut : EB11 or EB1911 Notes on reading the Wikisource edition . A special disclaimer for this project . Collaboration page for contributors . 12543 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica 1911 Table of contents This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1931. This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works . Public domain Public domain false false← Alabama 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica , Volume 1 "Alabama" Arbitration by Montague Hughes Crackanthorpe Alabama River → See also Alabama Claims on…
He is commonly known as Rab.← Abbadie, Jakob 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica , Volume 1 'Abbahu Abba Mari → See also Abbahu on Wikipedia ; and our 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica disclaimer . 12925 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica , Volume 1 — 'Abbahu ʼABBAHU, the name of a Palestinian ʼamora ( q.v. ) who flourished c . 279–320. ʼAbbahu encouraged the study of Greek by Jews. He was famous as a collector of traditional lore, and is very often cited in the Talmud.
For works with similar titles, see Abattoir . ← Abatis 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica , Volume 1 Abattoir Abauzit, Firmin → See also Slaughterhouse on Wikipedia ; and our 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica disclaimer . See the modern Wiktionary entry at abattoir . 12774 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica , Volume 1 — Abattoir ABATTOIR (from abattre , to strike down), a French word often employed in English as an equivalent of “ slaughter-house ” ( q.v. ), the place where animals intended for food are killed.← Abattoir 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica , Volume 1 Abauzit, Firmin 'Abaye → See also Firmin Abauzit on Wikipedia ; and our 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica disclaimer . 12776 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica , Volume 1 — Abauzit, Firmin ABAUZIT, FIRMIN (1679–1767), a learned Frenchman, was born of…
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