Alan replies
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Yes, I agree exactly. Part of my difficulty with the word 'prior' is that I
find it ill-defined. I actually wrote my post down first using only the
word 'prior' and then decided I had to add the extra qualification of
substituting the word 'independent' because I hoped thereby to make my own
meaning unambiguously clear, and to phrase the principle in the most
general way possible.
But I get the impression that whenever Fred uses the word 'prior', he does
so strictly in the sense of 'epistemologically prior'. I find this still
ambiguous which is why I don't like using the word if I can avoid it, since
I can never be sure how statements using this word will be read. 'Prior'
could refer to the order of derivation of categories; to the order of
mathematical calculation; or to a syllogistic precedence ordering in terms
of generality. I don't think these are in every case the same thing.
Perhaps Fred would like to comment.
Alan