Final answer:
Foundational principles are essential underlying concepts that serve as cornerstones in various fields, like metaphysics' basic issues, art's elements and principles, and the foundational values of constitutional government.
Step-by-step explanation:
Foundational principles are basic, underlying concepts upon which other ideas, behaviors, and systems are built. These serve as the cornerstones in various fields, supporting and giving context to a broader understanding of related subjects. For instance, in metaphysics, foundational issues such as reality, being, space, time, god, soul, causation, values, and truth drive philosophical inquiry and discourse. In the study of art, the foundational elements include color, form, line, shape, space, and texture, while the principles include scale, proportion, unity, variety, rhythm, mass, balance, volume, perspective, and depth. When considering an area such as constitutional government, it is important to explore the historic roots of foundational values like democracy, rule of law, and individual rights.