general principles
Broad guiding rules
General principles are the broad, foundational ideas that guide reasoning or action in a field.
In law, general principles fill gaps where specific rules don't exist: The court relied on general principles of equity.
In everyday use, the phrase often signals big-picture thinking over details: I agree with you in general principles, but the specifics matter.
- universalityApplying to all cases
- blanket statementAssertion applied universally
- rule of thumbPractical approximation, not strict
- common senseNative practical judgment
- deductionConclusion from premises
axioms · ground rules · integrity · problem-solving · metaphysics · fairness · rationalism · ontology · decision-making · contradiction · epistemology · realism · justice · syllogism · foundationalism · broad strokes · big picture · strategy
- international lawinternational law, treaty, treaties, conventions, protocols
- inductive reasoninginductive reasoning, generalizations, inference, extrapolation, pattern recognition
general principlesstep-by-step instructions
Ordered guide through process
technical specifications · fine print · specifics · particulars · minutiae
general principlespractical applications
Real-world implementations of ideas
operational procedures · nuts and bolts · brass tacks · praxis · day-to-day operations
general principlesspecial cases
Atypical instances requiring distinction
exceptions · edge cases · local customs · anomalies · idiosyncrasies
general, principle, generally, generalize, generalization, generality, generalist, generalship, generals