For other uses, see Infinite regress (disambiguation).
An illustration of infinite regress
An infinite regress is an infinite series of entities governed by a recursive principle that determines how each entity in the series depends on or is produced by its predecessor.
In the epistemic regress, for example, a belief is justified because it is based on another belief that is justified. But this other belief is itself in need of one more justified belief for itself to be justified and so on. An infinite regress argument is an argument against a theory based on the fact that this theory leads to an infinite regress.
For such an argument to be successful, it must demonstrate not just that the theory in question entails an infinite regress but also that this regress is vicious. There are different ways in which a regress can be vicious. The most serious form of viciousness involves a contradiction in the form of metaphysical impossibility. Other forms occur when the infinite regress is responsible for the theory in question being implausible or for its failure to solve the problem it was formulated to solve.
Traditionally, it was often assumed without much argument that each infinite regress is vicious but this assumption has been put into question in contemporary philosophy. While some philosophers have explicitly defended theories with infinite regresses, the more common strategy has been to reformulate the theory in question in a way that avoids the regress. One such strategy is foundationalism, which posits that there is a first element in the series from which all the other elements arise but which is not itself explained this way. Another way is coherentism, which is based on a holistic explanation that usually sees the entities in question not as a linear series but as an interconnected network.
Infinite regress arguments have been made in various areas of philosophy. Famous examples include the cosmological argument and Bradley's regress.
An infiniteregress is an infinite series of entities governed by a recursive principle that determines how each entity in the series depends on or is...
"Turtles all the way down" is an expression of the problem of infiniteregress. The saying alludes to the mythological idea of a World Turtle that supports...
cosmological argument is an example of a positive infiniteregress argument. An infiniteregress is an infinite series of entities governed by a recursive principle...
since every proposition requires justification. Infiniteregress, also represented within the regress argument, is closely related to the problem of the...
beliefs.[citation needed] Evidentialism also faces a challenge from the infiniteregress argument. This argument begins with the observation that, normally...
circular reasoning or infiniteregress. When this recursion creates a metaphysical impossibility through contradiction, the regress or circularity is vicious...
second homunculus's head, and so forth. In other words, a situation of infiniteregress is created. The problem with the homunculus argument is that it tries...
recursive step does not get closer to a base case, but instead leads to an infiniteregress. It is not unusual for such books to include a joke entry in their...
propositions Infiniteregress, a problem in epistemology Regression (disambiguation) This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Regress. If...
have the same restrictions. This, in turn, may lead to a problem of infiniteregress wherein each new presumed creator of a creator is itself presumed to...
this characterization of meaning is that it threatens to lead to an infiniteregress: at each step, something is meaningful because something else is meaningful...
Ultimately, Achilles fails, because the clever tortoise leads him into an infiniteregression. The discussion begins by considering the following logical argument:...
Thomas Aquinas, which rests on the impossibility of a causally ordered infiniteregress, and those of Leibniz and Samuel Clarke, which refer to the principle...
memories Past life regression, a process claiming to retrieve memories of previous lives Infiniteregress, a problem in epistemology Regression (film), a 2015...
distinction between "knowledge that" and "knowledge how" leads to infiniteregress. One of the most important distinctions in epistemology is between...
new level, requiring a third level, and so on in an infiniteregress. At the end of the regress was a "superlative general observer" who existed in eternity...
Divergence (computer science) Fork bomb (an infinite loop is one of two key components) Infiniteregress "Endless loop dictionary definition". Archived...
apply to any subsequent reason they cite. This threatens to lead to an infiniteregress since the epistemic status at each step depends on the epistemic status...
variety of universes after each Big Bang event in an infinite cycle. In logic, an infiniteregress argument is "a distinctively philosophical kind of argument...
name from the World Turtle and discusses it. The regress argument in epistemology and the infiniteregress in philosophy often use the expression "turtles...
proposition or endless series of statements or regressus ad infinitum (infiniteregress). In the Hindi language, anavastha means nothingness. Anavastha (Sanskrit:...
Genesis creation narrative – Creation myth of Judaism and Christianity Infiniteregress – Philosophical problem List of Latin phrases Lexical enrichment Mormon...
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