Archimedean point
The Archimedean point is a theoretical “absolute point” outside of an experimental setup. This is particularly immobile and can therefore be firmly anchored as a pivot . The Archimedean point takes its name from Archimedes ' statement that he could lift the earth all by himself if he only had a fixed point and a sufficiently long lever .
In a figurative sense, this term is used in philosophy to denote a perfectly evident (indubitable) truth or fact. For René Descartes and those who follow him, the statement “I think, therefore I am” ( cogito, ergo sum ) forms such an Archimedean point, because even if I think “I am not”, there is undoubtedly an I, that thinks.
Individual evidence
- ^ Archimedean point. Oxford University Press, accessed May 4, 2014 .