Etymology

homunculus argument

Today it means: An informal fallacy whereby a concept is explained in terms of the concept itself, recursively. Full definition →

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The story

In reference to a fallacy of this kind relating to the theory of vision. If one explains that light forms an image on the retinas and something in the brain observes these images, then the same question arises: how does this observation occur?

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.