The main purpose of thought experiments, though, is to show that a problem is soluble in principle and so to encourage others to try to solve it in practice.

ECONOMIST: The universe, it appears, may not be alone

In principle, it could mean better returns and so better pensions than if the work were done by less expert in house people.

BBC: Mundo | Aprenda ingl��s | Manejo de fondo de pensiones

So far it is an agreement only in principle, and key details, such as whether Samsung's car-parts business and Daewoo's overseas electronics factories are included remain open.

ECONOMIST: South Korean restructuring

Mr Innes and most British coppers reckon such a heavy-handed approach is alien to the culture of British policing (indeed, it turned out to work nowhere so well as in New York) and may even be wrong in principle.

ECONOMIST: Policing

So in principle we support moves to help get people online and encourage them to open up their lives.

BBC: universal credit claim form

It could, in principle, mean that more people are working and earning enough so that fewer people need to enter the work force.

FORBES: Data Shows Clear Decline in Labor Force Participation Under President Obama

So that dynastic principle was invoked with regard to the prophet's cousin and son-in-law, Ali.

NPR: Early Divisions at Root of Sunni-Shia Conflict

The GI-GO principle sets in, and then they modify their program to manipulate the data so that they see what their figures tell them they ought to.

FORBES: ClimateGate Star Michael Mann Courts Legal Disaster

So isn't the alternative for him to craft a deal in which he stands by his principle and sticks by his promise?

WHITEHOUSE: Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney,

This is a known phenomenon that can in principle be calculated and predicted based on a given sea-level rise, by means of the so-called Bruun effect.

UNESCO: Post-Conflict and Post-Disaster Responses