Doing Philosophy – Unit 1, Lesson 1

A comprehensive set of Q&A flashcards covering the meaning and origins of philosophy, its major branches, key Western and Eastern thinkers, and principal ideas from both traditions.

What do the Greek roots "philos" and "sophia" literally mean?

Love of wisdom

How is philosophy defined in this lesson?

A discipline that uses human reason to investigate the ultimate causes, reasons, and principles governing all things.

Where did philosophy historically originate?

Ancient Greece

Which branch of philosophy studies what is real and the fundamental nature of reality?

Metaphysics

Give one key metaphysical question.

Examples: "What is reality?" or "Does God exist?"

Which branch of philosophy focuses on knowledge and its limits?

Epistemology

State one guiding question of epistemology.

"How do we know what we know?"

Which branch deals with moral principles and how we should live?

Ethics

Name one central ethical question.

"What makes an action right or wrong?"

Which branch investigates art, beauty, and taste?

Aesthetics

What is one aesthetic question raised in the notes?

"Is beauty subjective or objective?"

Which branch of philosophy studies correct reasoning and argumentation?

Logic

What does logic help us detect in arguments?

Fallacies (flaws in reasoning)

What is Western philosophy primarily concerned with?

Uncovering truth through systematic argumentation and theory, emphasizing reason over faith.

Thales believed that the ultimate substance of everything is what?

Water

What indefinite, boundless realm did Anaximander propose as the source of all things?

Apeiron

According to Anaximenes, what element is the origin of all matter?

Air

Which philosopher said fire is the fundamental substance and introduced the concept of logos?

Heraclitus

Complete the Heraclitus quote: "You cannot step twice into the same ___."

River

Who established a community devoted to the study of religion and philosophy and is famous for a geometric theorem?

Pythagoras

Which Greek thinker first proposed that matter is made of atoms?

Democritus

Epicurus taught that philosophy should help humans achieve what?

A life of happiness by satisfying mental, not merely physical, pleasures

Which philosopher focused on human nature and used the Socratic Method?

Socrates

What is the famous Socratic statement about life and examination?

"An unexamined life is not worth living."

Who wrote the "Allegory of the Cave" and is considered foundational to Western philosophy?

Plato

What dualistic view did René Descartes famously express?

Mind–body dualism

State Descartes' celebrated philosophical declaration.

"I think, therefore I am."

According to Aristotle, where do our ideas and views originate?

Perception of the sensible world

Which mathematician–philosopher’s work foreshadowed modern calculus?

Archimedes

What central question drives Eastern philosophy according to the lesson?

"Who and what am I?"

Eastern philosophy emphasizes not just understanding but also what?

Practicing how to truly live as a human person

Name the monotheistic tradition that regards its followers as God’s chosen people.

Judaism

Which sacred writings guide Jewish law and wisdom?

The Hebrew Scriptures (Tanakh) – especially the Torah

Identify Hinduism’s cycle of rebirth that ends upon attaining moksha.

Samsara

In Hinduism, what principle holds that actions determine future outcomes?

Karma

What Japanese animistic tradition stresses harmony and balance to maintain purity?

Shintoism

Jainism rejects a creator and sees time as what?

A wheel of endless cycles of prosperity and suffering

Who is the "Enlightened One" in Buddhism?

Siddharta Gautama (the Buddha)

List the first of the Four Noble Truths.

Dukkha – the truth of suffering

What path outlines right conduct in Buddhism?

The Noble Eightfold Path

Confucianism teaches five central virtues. Name any one.

Ren, Li, Zhi, Xin, or Xiao

State the Confucian version of the Golden Rule.

“Do not do unto others what you would not want others to do unto you.”

Which Chinese philosophy highlights harmony of opposites symbolized by yin and yang?

Taoism

Complete Lao Tzu’s saying: "A journey of a thousand miles begins with _."

One step

Islam requires believers to uphold how many pillars?

Five

Name the Islamic practice of giving alms.

Zakat

Which faith founded by Guru Nanak teaches union with the Divine through meditation?

Sikhism

According to Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, what unique gift does the human person possess?

Reason

How does the Eastern tradition view the purpose of philosophical theories?

As guides for practical living

What triggers philosophical reflection, according to the concluding slide?

Human experiences that evoke wonder and awe

Why does the lesson suggest modern people "have less time to think and reflect"?

They are preoccupied, becoming "a contradiction of their own" by neglecting reflection