the.com/proposition
A statement bold enough to be wrong, which is the only way to be right.
means A statement that asserts something can be judged true or false, or an offer or plan put forward for consideration.
from From Latin 'propositio,' meaning 'a setting forth,' built from 'pro-' (forward) plus 'ponere' (to put or place) — literally something placed before you. The same 'ponere' fathered a whole family: 'pose,' 'position,' 'deposit,' 'compose.' It entered English through Old French 'proposicion' in the medieval period, first as a logical or rhetorical term — the thing you put on the table to be argued over.
- logic core
- Either true or false, never both at once
- latin roots
- From proponere, to set forth or display
- frege's gift
- Founded modern logic on propositions, not psychology
- street meaning
- Also a deal, a pitch, or a come-on
- ballot use
- American voters decide laws called propositions directly
proposition 13 — california 1978 tax limitation that reduced property taxes by 57% and shaped state finances for decades
proposition 8 — california 2008 ballot measure that banned same-sex marriage, overturned in 2013
prop 65 — california 1986 safe drinking water and toxic enforcement act requiring warnings on chemicals known to cause cancer