widely accepted propositions that are not self-evident first principles, and are almost like first principles and fall into the category of propositions resembling them,” and so forth.

He may be answered as follows:

This too demonstrates their strength and truth, for they have acknowledged that these propositions are stronger than widely accepted propositions that are not self-evident first principles. Most rational people regard the latter as necessary truths of reason. If these propositions are stronger than those, they must be stronger than some necessary truths of reason, which entails their truth.

For he said:

“As for widely accepted propositions, they include these first principles and similar propositions that must be accepted—not because they must be accepted, but because they are universally acknowledged. They also include opinions called ‘commendable.’ We sometimes reserve the name ‘widely accepted’ for these, since their only basis is widespread acceptance. These are propositions such that, if a person were left to his unaided intellect, his estimative faculty, and his senses, without being trained to accept and acknowledge certain propositions, without induction leading him to a judgment he considers highly probable on account of the many particular instances, and without being drawn to them by the compassion, shame, pride, indignation, and other qualities inherent in his human nature—he would not affirm them on the basis of his intellect or his estimative faculty