Buridan's ass

Also found in: Encyclopedia, Wikipedia

0.04 sec.

Buridan's ass [ˈbjʊərɪdənz]

(Philosophy) Philosophy an example intended to show the deficiency of reason. An ass standing equidistant from two identical heaps of oats starves to death because reason provides no grounds for choosing to eat one rather than the other

[named after Jean Buridan, 14th-century French philosopher, to whom it was incorrectly attributed]

How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content.

?Page tools

Printer friendly
Cite / link
Email

Feedback
Add definition

? Mentioned in

No references found

Dictionary/thesaurus browser

? Full browser

burial garment
burial ground
burial mound
Burial place
Burial service
burial site
burial vault
Buridan's ass
buried
burier
burin
burinist
Burion
Burk
burka

Dictionary, Thesaurus, and Translations

Free Tools:	For surfers: Free toolbar & extensions \| Word of the Day \| Help For webmasters: Free content \| Linking \| Lookup box \| Double-click lookup \| Partner with us

All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional. Terms of Use.