“A posteriori” is a term used to describe a type of knowledge or justification that is based on empirical evidence or observation. In philosophy and epistemology, there are two main types of knowledge: a priori and a posteriori.
A priori knowledge is a knowledge that is independent of experience or observation and is known or justified independently of empirical evidence. It is often based on reasoning or deduction.
On the other hand, a posteriori knowledge is knowledge that is derived from experience, observation, or empirical evidence. It depends on sensory experience or empirical verification.
For instance, the statement “The cat is on the mat” can be known as a posteriori if you observe the cat on the mat. Conversely, statements like “All bachelors are unmarried” can be known a priori because the definition of a bachelor already includes being unmarried, and it is not necessary to observe every bachelor to know this.
In summary, “a posteriori” knowledge is knowledge acquired through experience or empirical evidence.
