Principle
For the term in chemistry, see principle (chemistry).A
principle (not
principal) is something, usually a
rule or
norm, that is part of the basis for something else. For example, the
ethics of someone may be seen as a set of principles that the individual obeys. These principles form the basis for their ethics.
Principles may also be introduced as
pedagogy: laying down basics in a
topic, in order later to proceed to more detailed developments.
Identifying or defining a rule as a principle says that, for the purpose at hand, the principle will not be questioned or further derived. This is a convenient way of reducing the complexity of an argumentation.
*
principled approach*
Law (principle)*
wiktionary:principle
