IPSE (ipps)
Ipse
dixit: a Latin phrase meaning he
himself said it
Common
clues: ___
dixit; Dixit preceder; ___dixit (assertion without proof); ___
dixit (unproven assertion); ___ dixit (allegation)
Crossword
puzzle frequency:
once a year
Ipse dixit is a Latin phrase meaning he himself said it. The term labels a dogmatic statement asserted but not proved, to be accepted on faith in the speaker.
The legal and philosophical principle of "Ipse dixit" involves an unproven assertion, which is claimed to be authoritative because "[Latin 'he himself said it.'"] It is asserted, but not proved, for example: "His testimony that she was a liar was nothing more than an ipse dixit."
In the Middle Ages, scholars often applied the term to justify arguments if they had been used by Aristotle.
Cicero,
in De Natura Deorum (I, 5), refers to Pythagoras's students
debating, saying "ipse dixit", that is, "he said it
himself", speaking of Pythagoras, whose authority they
considered strong "even without reason".
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Ipse dixit".
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