Circularity refers to a situation where reasoning, definitions, or explanations appear to rely on each other, creating a closed loop. It's characterized by a dependence where the conclusion is used as a premise or a definition utilizes the term being defined. This can manifest as a problem in logic, where arguments become self-referential and offer no independent support, or in design, where feedback loops and interconnected systems are employed to maintain or improve system performance. The crucial element is the sense of going in circles, with no clear starting or ending point, hindering progress or deeper understanding. This lack of a linear progression and reliance on itself often obscures the underlying causes or true solutions.
Circularity meaning with examples
- The economic policy was criticized for its circularity. The government justified increased spending to stimulate growth, but the increased spending was funded by higher taxes, which ultimately dampened growth. This created a cyclical pattern where the solution (spending) relied on the problem it was meant to fix (lack of growth), leading nowhere.
- A philosophical argument employed circularity by defining 'truth' as what is accepted as true, and then using that acceptance as proof of the truth. This provided no external validation for the definition and remained stuck in a self-referential cycle, offering no meaningful explanation for the concept.
- Software design can sometimes suffer from circularity. For instance, system A sends data to system B, which then processes and sends data back to system A. While useful for feedback, a bug in either system will indefinitely circulate, endlessly triggering the same error message and preventing program execution.
- When diagnosing a complex illness, a doctor's diagnostic reasoning can unintentionally display circularity if they rely on symptom X to confirm disease Y, then use disease Y to explain symptom X. The conclusion validates the premise with no supporting evidence from other test results or other medical sources.
- In the design of urban planning, the circularity in traffic flow became noticeable, with all public transport routes relying on major thoroughfares. If one road becomes congested, the flow of all routes would grind to a standstill, showing a self-dependent design that failed to achieve efficiency.
Circularity Synonyms
cyclicality iterativeness loop redundancy repetitiveness self-reference tautology vicious circleCircularity Antonyms
causality determinacy directness independence linearity non-circularity sequentialityCircularity Crossword Answers
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