Literary notes about AXIOM (AI summary)
Across literary genres, "axiom" is employed as a term for a self-evident truth—a foundational principle that requires no external proof. In philosophical writings, it often sets the groundwork for ethical or metaphysical discussion, serving as an unquestionable starting point for further reasoning [1][2]. In mathematical and scientific discourses, it is cited as the simplest statement whose validity underpins more complex theories [3][4]. At times, authors draw on the term to encapsulate personal beliefs or societal norms, whether in poetic reflections on life's minutiae or in legal and military contexts asserting the immutable nature of certain truths [5][6][7]. Even when used humorously or ironically, the axiom remains a steadfast reference point, illustrating its enduring function as a benchmark for what is considered universally self-evident [8][9].
- And it has received the name of axiom, ἀξίωμα, because it is either maintained, ἀξιοῦται, or repudiated.
— from The Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers by Diogenes Laertius - N.B. This postulate or axiom rests on Postulate i. and Lemmas v. and vii., which see after II.
— from Ethics by Benedictus de Spinoza - No axiom in mathematics is more certain than this simple statement.
— from PG Edition of Netherlands series — Complete by John Lothrop Motley - To show this, take the mathematical axiom, "Things which are equal to the same things, are equal to one another.
— from Know the Truth: A Critique on the Hamiltonian Theory of Limitation by Jesse Henry Jones - "It has long been an axiom of mine that the little things are infinitely the most important.
— from The Lock and Key Library: Classic Mystery and Detective Stories: Modern English - It is an axiom of criminal law, and, consequently, you understand its full application.”
— from The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet - It is a military axiom not to advance uphill against the enemy, nor to oppose him when he comes downhill.
— from The Art of War by active 6th century B.C. Sunzi - I learned a lesson; also I made an axiom, all out of my own head—my very first one; THE SCRATCHED EXPERIMENT SHUNS THE THORN.
— from Eve's Diary, Complete by Mark Twain - It is a settled axiom with me, after much examination and reflection, that public sentiment is false on every subject.
— from History of Woman Suffrage, Volume I
