Ipso facto is aLatin phrase, directly translated as "by the fact itself",[1] which means that a specificphenomenon is adirectconsequence, a resultanteffect, of the action in question, instead of being brought about by a previous action. (Contrast this with the expressions"by itself" or"per se".) It is aterm of art used inphilosophy,law, andscience.
Aside from its technical uses, it occurs frequently in literature, particularly in scholarly addenda: e.g., "Faustus had signed his life away, and was,ipso facto, incapable of repentance" (fromChristopher Marlowe,The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus) or "These prejudices are rooted in the idea that every trampipso facto is a blackguard" (fromGeorge Orwell,Down and Out in Paris and London).
Ipso facto denotes the automatic character of the loss of membership in a religious body by someone guilty of a specified action.[2] Within thecanon law of theCatholic Church, the phraselatae sententiae is more commonly used thanipso facto with regard toecclesiastical penalties such asexcommunication. It indicates that the effect follows even if no verdict (in Latin,sententia) is pronounced by an ecclesiastical superior or tribunal.
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