{{Short description|Hypothetical "God's-eye view" of the world}} {{Epistemology sidebar}} An '''Archimedean point''' ({{Langx|la|'''Punctum Archimedis'''}}) is a hypothetical viewpoint from which certain objective truths can perfectly be perceived (also known as a '''God's-eye view''') or a reliable starting point from which one may reason. In other words, a view from an Archimedean point describes the ideal of removing oneself from the object of study so that one can see it in relation to all other things while remaining independent of them.<ref>Blackburn, Simon, ed. [2008] 2016. "[http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095422175 Archimedean Point]" (quick reference). ''The Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy'' (2nd rev. ed.). e<nowiki/>{{ISBN|9780191727726}}. Oxford Reference. Retrieved 18 June 2020.</ref>
For example, the philosopher John Rawls uses the heuristic device of the original position in an attempt to remove the particular biases of individual agents to demonstrate how rational beings might arrive at an objective formulation of justice.<ref>Bell, Daniel. [2001] 2020."[http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/communitarianism/#UniVerPar Communitarianism]" (revised ed.). ''Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy''. Retrieved 18 June 2020.</ref>
== Origins == thumb|''Archimedes lever'', engraving from ''Mechanics Magazine'', London 1824 The term refers to the great 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.
The idea for the term is attributed to Descartes in his second ''Meditation'', who refers to Archimedes requiring only "a point that was firm and immovable," with regard to finding certainty:<ref>{{cite web | title = Quotations about Archimedes Lever | url = http://www.math.nyu.edu/~crorres/Archimedes/Lever/LeverQuotes.html | accessdate = 2009-01-23| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20090126130558/http://www.math.nyu.edu/~crorres/Archimedes/Lever/LeverQuotes.html| archivedate= 26 January 2009 | url-status= live}}</ref><blockquote>Archimedes, that he might transport the entire globe from the place it occupied to another, demanded only a point that was firm and immovable; so, also, I shall be entitled to entertain the highest expectations, if I am fortunate enough to discover only one thing that is certain and indubitable.<ref>Manley, David B., and Charles S. Taylor, ed. [1996] 2005. “[http://www.wright.edu/~charles.taylor/descartes/meditation2.html Meditations II].” ''Descartes' ‘Meditations’'' (HTML ed.), translated by J. Veitch (1901). Dayton, OH: Wright State University, College of Liberal Arts.</ref></blockquote>
== Criticism == Sceptical and anti-realist philosophers criticise the possibility of an Archimedean point, claiming that "such an alleged standpoint is merely fantastical" and that the alleged objectivity of the view is mythical.<ref>[http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095422175 Archimedean Point]. Oxford Reference - Oxford University Press. Retrieved 18 April 2014.</ref>
==See also== * Bird's-eye view * Observer effect (physics) * Objectivity (philosophy) * Objectivity (science) * The Aleph (short story)
== References == {{Reflist}} ==External links== {{wikiquote}}
Category:History of physics Category:Concepts in the philosophy of science Category:Concepts in epistemology