Evident

Manifest, clear, true. 

 

Factually Evident.— That which is evident from what one perceives by the external or internal senses. 

 

Self-Evident.— 1. That which is evident in itself. 2. The quality of a proposition such that its predicate is necessarily included in its subject. E.g., it belongs to the essence of an efficient cause that it produces  an effect. Hence, this proposition is self-evident: “Efficient causes produce effects.” St. Thomas Aquinas distinguishes between the following four kinds of self-evident propositions: (a) Self-Evident in Itself. A proposition in which the predicate is necessarily included in the subject. (b) Self-Evident in Itself and to Us. A proposition that is self-evident in itself and that one (or all) knows to be self-evident. (c) Self-Evident in Itself but Not to Us. A proposition that is self-evident in itself but, for whatever reason, is not known to be such by us. (d) Self-Evident to the Wise. A proposition that is self-evident in itself but that can only be known to be such by us after a significant amount of inquiry into the terms of the proposition (Summa theologiae, I, q. 2, a. 1; I-II, q. 94, a. 2). 

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