A POSTERIORI

 A posteriori is a Latin expression that can be translated as “de lo posterior” . It is an adverbial phrase that refers to what is known after analyzing or reviewing an issue or that refers to a demonstration that is carried out by moving from effect to cause.

The usual thing is that the idea of a posteriori appears linked to its opposite: a priori. A posteriori knowledge is related to experience since it is generated or obtained after accessing something. A priori knowledge , on the other hand, maintains a certain independence from experience because it is associated with the universal.

Any judgment made a posteriori is empirical and can be verified through experience. For example: "There are people who are redheads. " This is a posteriori knowledge , which arises after observing an individual who has reddish hair. The same can be said of expressions such as "Not all cars are green" and "There are dogs that have long hair. "

Unlike a posteriori knowledge , a priori knowledge does not need an investigation to prove its veracity. "All parents have or had at least one child" is a priori knowledge : being a parent implies that, at some point, the person has had a child, either biological or adoptive.

The use of these and other Latin phrases generates diverse responses in people, since on the one hand there are those who enjoy very much to include terms of foreign origin in their speech, and on the opposite extreme are those who prefer a cleaner communication , based entirely on in one's own language.

Since it is basically a matter of taste and opinion, it is not convenient to further fuel the fire that divides these two groups by saying that one of them is wrong. However, when the desire to combine terms and expressions from different languages ​​leads to an incorrect or inaccurate use of words , it becomes difficult to encourage this custom, since it threatens communication.

In other words, it is appropriate to ask ourselves what is the reason for using a posteriori and a priori , if we can opt for their equivalents in Spanish. What is the benefit that this linguistic fusion offers us , dangerous if there are any, based on the forced inclusion of foreign expressions that usually lead to errors in pronunciation and spelling, as well as deformations typical of lack of knowledge?

It is known that many people say roughly , modus operandi , modus vivendi , ipso facto and of its own accord , rather broadly , modus operandi , modus vivendi , ipso facto and proprio motu , respectively. In this list we can appreciate various errors , such as the deformation of certain terms due to similarity to others in our language (when we change our own for our own ), the incorrect inclusion of prepositions (such as a and de) and placing an extra 's' at the end of the second term (as in operandis and vivendis ).

This shows us that venturing to include foreign terms in speech is not easy, as it requires very specific knowledge to do so accurately . Therefore, it is recommended to use Spanish expressions to avoid any unnecessary mistakes. Let's look at two examples in which a posteriori is dispensed with : 'Don't be too quick to draw conclusions; it is preferable to do it last " , " Later , Arthur finally discovered the whole truth . "

Finally, “A posteriori” is the title of an album that Enigma released in 2006 . The album , which received a Grammy Award nomination , includes twelve songs written by the Romanian-German composer Michael Cretu.