(physics) The observation that, out of the great range of all possible conditions on Earth, the actual conditions are all “just right” in order to support life.

(mathematics) The theorem which states that any partition of a finite set of n elements into m (< n) subsets (allowing empty subsets) must include a subset with two or more elements; any of certain reformulations concerning the partition of infinite sets where the cardinality of the unpartitioned set exceeds that of the partition (so there is no one-to-one correspondence).

(mathematics, physics) The principle that a linear combination of two or more solutions of an equation is itself a solution; it is a feature of many physical laws

A basic, foundational proposition or assumption that cannot be deduced from any other proposition or assumption.

plural of first principle

The set of basic statements on which a method, theory, or organisation is founded.

(philosophy) Synonym of verifiability principle

(philosophy) Synonym of verifiability principle

(philosophy) Synonym of verifiability principle

(philosophy) The principle, especially in 20th-century empiricism, that a statement has meaning if, and only if, either it can be verified by means of empirical observations or it is logically true by definition.