Literary notes about Assumption (AI summary)
The term “assumption” in literature is remarkably versatile, functioning both as a premise for argument and as a lens for human attitudes. In some works it is presented as an unsubstantiated leap of faith, one that diverges from pure reason—for instance, when it is described as entirely devoid of logical support ([1], [2]). In contrast, other texts reveal its emotive power, using it to characterize a person's demeanor or the social implications of presuming dignity or authority (as seen in the portrayal of scorn or self-importance in narratives) ([3], [4], [5]). Philosophers and thinkers also invoke the term in a technical sense, employing it as a critical underpinning of deductive reasoning and as a condition for further inquiry, as evident in the work of Kant, Plato, and others ([6], [7], [8]). Moreover, in historical and religious contexts it identifies ceremonial or authoritative acts, thereby bridging abstract thought with institutional legitimacy ([9], [10], [11]).
- [246] This is a perfectly wanton assumption, and not the faintest shadow of reason exists for supposing it true.
— from The Principles of Psychology, Volume 1 (of 2) by William James - And when one comes to examine the question in itself, there is absolutely no logical ground for the assumption.
— from Know the Truth: A Critique on the Hamiltonian Theory of Limitation by Jesse Henry Jones - She drew back from him with a desperate assumption of scorn.
— from The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton - It was very evident that he had a great contempt for any assumption of dignity or innocence on the part of these young women.
— from Sister Carrie: A Novel by Theodore Dreiser - Margaret's conscious assumption of this unusual dignity of demeanour towards Dixon, gave her an instant's amusement in the midst of her anxiety.
— from North and South by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell - To justify this assumption it is sufficient, in a practical point of view, that they contain no intrinsic impossibility (contradiction).
— from The Critique of Practical Reason by Immanuel Kant - Well, then, I hope to make the discovery in this way: 117 I mean to begin with the assumption that our State, if rightly ordered, is perfect.
— from The Republic of Plato by Plato - The assumption is a clause (introduced usually by the conjunction se , if ) which assumes something as true or realized.
— from A Complete Grammar of Esperanto by Ivy Kellerman Reed - Next in importance is the Church of the Assumption, containing the bodies of seven saints conveyed here from Constantinople.
— from The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America by Thomas Jefferson - Of the substance of the people of God, which through His assumption of flesh is in Christ, who alone had power to deliver His own soul from hell.
— from The City of God, Volume II by Bishop of Hippo Saint Augustine - Alinari THE DEATH AND ASSUMPTION OF THE VIRGIN ( Relief on the Tabernacle by Andrea di Cione Orcagna, Or San Michele, Florence ) View larger image
— from Lives of the Most Eminent Painters Sculptors and Architects, Vol. 01 (of 10) by Giorgio Vasari