Epistemology, A priori versus a posteriori knowledge

A sharp distinction has been drawn since at least the 17th century between two types of knowledge: a priori knowledge and a posteriori knowledge. The distinction plays an especially important role in the philosophies of David Hume (1711–76) and Immanuel Kant (1724–1804). It is also found in many contemporary, empirically oriented theories of knowledge, which typically hold that all knowledge

Mursilis I

Mursilis was the adopted heir of his grandfather, Hattusilis I, whom he succeeded on the throne. He first continued his predecessor's campaigns in northern Syria, destroying Aleppo and delivering the final blow to Mari. He then turned eastward, and by raiding Babylon he put an end to the Amorite dynasty there.

Arve River

River in eastern France and Switzerland, rising in the Savoy Alps and flowing north into the Rhône River below Geneva. Over its 62-mi (100-km) course, the river passes by some of the finest and most varied Alpine scenery. Its upper section collects the drainage of the northwest face of the Massif du Mont Blanc and is a source of hydroelectric power. Below Bonneville, in the Faucigny

Breisach

In full  Breisach Am Rhein,   city, Baden-Württemberg Land (state), southwestern Germany, on the right bank of the Rhine opposite Neuf-Brisach, Fr. As ancient Brisiacum, it was a stronghold of the Celtic Sequani. Captured in the time of Julius Caesar, it became known as Mons Brisiacus. Fortified by the emperor Valentinian in 369, it remained one of the chief Rhine bulwarks of medieval Germany and gave its

Mandalay

Mandalay was built mainly in 1857–59 by King Mindon to replace Amarapura as his capital. It was the last capital of the Myanmar kingdom and

Yamethin

Town, central-northern Myanmar (Burma), occupying a high point on the central plain. For centuries it was an important junction on the caravan trade route between the Shan region to the east and Myingyan, 90 miles (145 km) northwest, on the Irrawaddy River. Modern Yamethin, a municipality since 1888, has railway workshops and is irrigated by the Kyeni Tank (reservoir), built in the 11th

Jackal

Any of several species of wolflike carnivores of the dog genus Canis, family Canidae, sharing with the hyena an exaggerated reputation for cowardice. Three species are usually recognized: the golden, or Asiatic, jackal (C. aureus), found from eastern Europe and northeast Africa to Southeast Asia, and the black-backed (C. mesomelas) and side-striped (C.