Sine qua non

For other uses, see Sine qua non (disambiguation).

Sine qua non (pronounced /ˌsaɪnɨ kweɪ ˈnɒn/, Latin: [ˈsine kwaː ˈnoːn])^[1] or condicio sine qua non (plural: condiciones sine quibus non) refers to an indispensable and essential action, condition, or ingredient. It was originally a Latin legal term for "[a condition] without which it could not be," or "but for..." or "without which [there is] nothing."

Usage in literature

As a Latin term, it occurs in the work of Boethius, and originated in Aristotelian expressions.^[1] In recent times it has passed from a merely legal usage to a more general usage in many languages, including English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, etc. In Classical Latin, the correct form uses the word condicio (from the verb condico, condicere, to agree upon), but nowadays the phrase is sometimes used with conditio, which has a different meaning in Latin ("seasoning" from the verb condio, condire, to season, to spice, to pickle, or "foundation" from the verb condo, condere, to lay, to establish). The phrase is also used in economics, philosophy and medicine.

An example of the term's usage was annotated in H. W. Brands' biography of Andrew Jackson. The book included a toast given by Jackson on the occasion of his receiving an honorary doctorate from Harvard University. The President responded to his listeners, "E pluribus unum, my friends. Sine qua non." A recent example comes from Javier Solana who said that the arrest of Radovan Karadžić was sine qua non for Serbia's joining the European Union and "it has been a very important step to move closer to Europe."^{[citation needed]}

It also appears in the commentary on Article 59 of the Fourth Geneva Convention on the protection of civilians during a time of war. In this case, the sine qua non refers to the assurance that relief aid will go to the civilian population and not be diverted towards "the benefit of the Occupying Power."^[2]

Usage in medicine

In medicine, the term sine qua non is often used in regard to any sign, symptom or finding whose absence would very likely mean absence of the target disease or condition. The test for such a sign, symptom or finding would thereby have very high sensitivity, and rarely miss the condition, so a negative result should be reassuring (the disease tested for is absent). An example is the finding of an underlying mutation in certain types of hereditary colon cancer.^[3][4]

In contrast, a sign or symptom whose test is highly specific and very unlikely to give a false positive result is often termed pathognomonic.

See also

• Raison d'être (disambiguation)

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "sine qua non". Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. 2nd ed. 1989.
2. ^ International Humanitarian Law – Fourth 1949 Geneva Convention
3. ^ Lynch, H. T.; Lynch, J. F.; Lynch, P. M.; Attard, T. (2007). "Hereditary colorectal cancer syndromes: Molecular genetics, genetic counseling, diagnosis and management". Familial Cancer 7 (1): 27–39. doi:10.1007/s10689-007-9165-5. PMID 17999161.  edit
4. ^ Lynch, H. T.; Lanspa, S. J. (2010). "Colorectal Cancer Survival Advantage in MUTYH-Associated Polyposis and Lynch Syndrome Families". JNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute 102 (22): 1687. doi:10.1093/jnci/djq439.  edit