H. P. Grice's Principle of Conversational Helpfulness

PRINCIPIUM -- arche, from Greek archein, to start; hence archê the startingpoint or beginning, first principle or origin; plural, archai] Aristotle claimed that philosophy should investigate the fundamental archai and causes of generation, existence, and knowledge. He described how at the very beginning of philosophy Thales sought the arche to account for the generation of the world. Thales believed this to be water. Anaximander is said to be the first person to use the word arche to name such a first entity. Aristotle called each of his four causes arche. He also called the basic premises for scientific deduction archai, discoverable by an intuitive faculty nous. In ethics the end, that is, the good to be pursued, is called arche as well.