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Archimedean point

Archimedean point noun: a hypothetical viewpoint from which certain objective truths can be perfectly perceived, or from which one may reliably start a chain of reasoning.

Noun

Archimedean point (plural Archimedean points)

  1. A hypothetical viewpoint from which certain objective truths can be perfectly perceived, or from which one may reliably start a chain of reasoning.
    • In terms of this development, the attempt to conquer space means that man hopes he will be able to journey to the Archimedean point which he anticipated by sheer force of abstraction and imagination.1963, Hannah Arendt, “The Conquest of Space and the Stature of Man”, in R. M. Hutchins, M. J. Adler, editors, The Great Ideas Today, William Benton, page 46
    • There is no Archimedean point, no purely objective vista that allows us to transcend our human interests and see the world from above, as we once imagined it appeared to God. It is our distinctive vantage that binds us to the world and sets the necessary limitations that are required to make sense...2021, Meghan O'Gieblyn, chapter 8, in God, Human, Animal, Machine […] , →ISBN

Forms of Archimedean point

pluralArchimedean points

Origin of Archimedean point

In reference to the ancient mathematician Archimedes, who supposedly claimed that he could lift the Earth off its foundation if he were given a place to stand, one solid point, and a long enough lever. Attributed to French philosopher, mathematician, and scientist René Descartes.

Questions about Archimedean point

What does Archimedean point mean?
Archimedean point means a hypothetical viewpoint from which certain objective truths can be perfectly perceived, or from which one may reliably start a chain of reasoning.
What part of speech is Archimedean point?
Archimedean point is a noun.
What is the plural of Archimedean point?
The plural of Archimedean point is Archimedean points.

Words near Archimedean point in the dictionary

  1. archimandrite
  2. archimandrites
  3. archimedean
  4. Archimedean ordered field
  5. Archimedean ordered fields
  6. Archimedean point
  7. Archimedean points
  8. Archimedean properties
  9. Archimedean property
  10. Archimedean screw
  11. Archimedean screws

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: Archimedean point (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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