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• Arche (ἀρχή): 

• The "beginning" or "ultimate underlying substance" that originates and governs. (Presocratic Philosophy)

• Arete: 

• Excellence or virtue; the quality that allows a thing to perform its function well. (Aristotle’s Ethics / Plato)

• Bhakti (Devotion): 

• A loving attitude of service toward the Supreme Person. (Bhagavad Gita 9.32, 18.65)

• Brahman: 

• The sacred power or ground of all being. (Upanishads / Bhagavad Gita 14.27)

• Cosmogony: 

• A theory concerning the origin of the universe, such as the birth of the gods. (Theogony)

• Daimon / Daimonion:

•  A divine "nay-saying" voice that warned Socrates against certain actions. (Plato’s Apology 31d)

• De / Te (德): 

• Virtue or "Excellence"; the charisma of moral orientation. (Analects 2.1, 7.6, 12.19)

• Dialectic: 

• The process of reaching truth or first principles through dialogue. (Plato’s Republic)

• Didactic Poetry: 

• Poetry intended to teach; exemplified by Works and Days. (Hesiod)

• Dike: 

• The Greek concept of justice representing the triumph of order. (Theogony)

• Divided Line,

• A cognitive map of different levels of reality and understanding. (Plato’s Republic)

• Divination (Nahash): 

• Seeking knowledge of the future; shares a root with the word for "serpent." (Genesis)

• Doxa:

•  Greek for "opinion" or "belief"; a state between knowledge and ignorance. (Plato’s Republic)

• Elenchus / Elenchos (Socratic Method): 

• Cross-examination to reveal contradictions and test definitions. (Plato’s Dialogues)

• Elpis: 

• "Hope"; the only thing caught under the rim of Pandora’s jar. (Theogony)

• Enuma Elish: 

• A Babylonian creation epic sharing similarities with Genesis. (Ancient Near East)

• Epistemology: 

• The philosophical study of the nature of knowledge and truth. (General Philosophy)

• Ergon: 

• The "function" or "task" unique to a thing, such as human reason. (Aristotle’s Ethics / Plato)

• Etiology:

•  A story explaining the cause or origin of a name, place, or social order. (Theogony / Genesis)

• Filial Fear: 

• The reverent fear a child has of offending a loving parent.

• Gadfly: 

• Socrates' description of himself as a "god's gift" sent to sting Athens into awareness. (Plato’s Apology)

• Guna:

•  The three qualities (Sattva, Rajas, Tamas) making up material nature. (Bhagavad Gita)

• Harmonia: 

• The "fitting together" of opposites (high/low, hot/cold). (Pythagoreanism)

• Hosiotês (Hosion):

•  Piety or religiosity; the central theme of the Euthyphro. (Plato)

• Jing (敬): 

• Respectfulness or task-focused alertness. (Analects)

• Junzi (君子): 

• The "Gentleman" or exemplary person; one who works at the "roots" of order. (Analects / Lessons for Women)

• Kallipolis: 

• The "Beautiful City" or ideal state ruled by philosopher-kings. (Plato’s Republic)

• Keju (科举): )

• The imperial civil service examination system ("subject recommendation"). (Sui to Qing Dynasties

• Ketuvim: 

• "Writings"; the third section of the Hebrew Bible, including Job. (Hebrew Bible)

• Know Thyself: 

• The Delphic maxim that defined Socrates' philosophical mission. (Plato’s Apology)

• Kosmos (κόσμος): 

• "Order" or "ornament"; the physical, visible, ordered universe. (Presocratic Philosophy)

• Leviticus: 

• The third book of the Torah; focus on rituals, sacrifices, and purity laws. (Torah)

• Li (礼): 

• Ritual propriety; encompassing all customs, manners, and conventions. (Analects 1.12, 3.3, 12.1)

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• Logistikon: 

• The rational part of the soul that seeks wisdom and governs. (Plato’s Republic)

• Logos (λόγος):)

•  "Speech," "account," or "reason"; a rational statement or faculty. (Presocratics / Plato

• Maieutic: 

• Socrates' "midwifery" method of helping others discover truth. (Plato’s Theaetetus)

• Materialism: 

• The belief that the world is composed of indestructible physical substance. (Presocratics)

• Mathematikoi: 

• The "students" of Pythagoras who held property in common and studied for five years. (Pythagoreanism)

• Metempsychosis: 

• The belief in the transmigration or reincarnation of the soul. (Pythagoreanism / Bhagavad Gita 2.13)

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• Metic: 

• A resident alien (like Aristotle) without voting or property rights. (Athenian Law)

• Metis: 

• "Wisdom" or "Cunning"; the first wife of Zeus. (Theogony)

• Mimesis (Imitation): 

• Copying or imitating; art is seen as "at a third remove" from reality. (Plato’s Republic)

• Misology: 

• The hatred of argument or reasoning. (Plato’s Phaedo)

• Moksha: 

• Liberation from the cycle of birth and death (samsara). (Bhagavad Gita 8.15)

• Monism:

•  The view that all of reality is derived from a single primary source. (Presocratic Philosophy)

• Nevi'im: 

• "The Prophets"; the second main section of the Hebrew Bible. (Hebrew Bible)

• Nomos: 

• Convention, custom, or human-made law; it is relative and changeable. (Sophists / Plato)

• Nishkama Karma:

•  Disinterested action; performing duty without attachment to fruits. (Bhagavad Gita 2.47, 18.6)

• Oligarchy: 

• A degenerate regime where power is determined by wealth. (Plato’s Republic)

• Orphism: 

• An esoteric religion viewing the body (soma) as a tomb (sema) for the soul. (Ancient Greece)

• Ousia: 

• substance, existence, true essence or unchanging "being," as opposed to "becoming." (Plato’s Phaedo)

• Paideia: 

• The traditional Greek system of moral education centered on poets like Homer. (Ancient Greece)

• Parresia / Parrhesiast: 

• Frankness or "speaking-truly" used to transform the soul. (Plato’s Apology)

• Parthenogenesis:

•  Asexual reproduction; how Gaia gave birth to the Sky and Sea alone. (Theogony)

• Perses: 

• Hesiod's brother; his unjust actions prompted Works and Days. (Hesiod)

• Phusis / Physis (φύσις): 

• Nature; the unalterable, eternal essence that grows. (Presocratics / Plato/Aristotle).  For Aristotle, Plato, and most of the pre-Socratics, it means primarily 1) the growth process or genesis of things, the physical stuff out of which things are made (the arche), and a kind of internal organizational principle, the structure of things.

• Pithos: 

• A great jar containing the world's evils. (Theogony / Works and Days)

• Pleonexia: 

• "Overreaching"; the desire to have more than one's share. (Plato’s Republic)

• Prakriti: 

• Material nature, composed of the three gunas. (Bhagavad Gita)

• Rarefaction and Condensation:

•  The processes by which air changes density to become other materials. (Anaximenes)

• Real Definition: 

• A definition capturing the universal essence of a thing. (Plato’s Euthyphro)

• Ren (仁): 

• Authoritative conduct or "Human-Being-At-Their-Best." (Analects 1.2, 4.5, 12.1)

• Sabbath / Shabbat: 

• The holy day of rest; a "location in time." (Genesis / Exodus)

• Shruti: 

• "That which is heard"; eternal knowledge like the Vedas. (Hindu Tradition)

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• Smriti: 

• "That which is remembered"; human-written works like the Gita. (Hindu Tradition)

• Socratic Irony: 

• A strategy using self-deprecation and "double speech." (Plato’s Apology)

• Sophist: 

• A professional educator teaching eloquence for a fee; prioritized persuasion over truth. (Ancient Athens)

• Stephanus Pagination: 

• The standard system for referencing Plato’s complete works. (Plato)

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• Supreme Person: 

• The origin and dissolution of the universe, immanent and transcendent. (Bhagavad Gita 7.4-5)

• Techne: 

• Skill, art, or craft used as an analogy for virtue. (Plato’s Republic)

• Teleological: 

• The view that the universe is organized according to a plan or purpose. (Theogony / Aristotle)

• Theogony: 

• The birth of the gods"; a significant cosmogonic poem. (Hesiod)

• Thumos: 

• The "Spirited Part" of the soul seeking honor and courage. (Plato’s Republic)

• Tian (天): 

• "Heaven"; a natural or moral force exerted on the world. (Analects)

• Timocracy:

•  A degenerate regime ruled by honor and ambition. (Plato’s Republic)

• Titanomachy:

•  The ten-year war between Zeus and the Titans. (Theogony)

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• Torah: 

• The first five books of the Hebrew Bible ("instruction"). (Hebrew Bible)

• Varnas: 

• The four social classes or occupational groups. (Bhagavad Gita 4.13)

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• Visible Realm: 

• The physical world of change and sense perception. (Plato’s Republic)

• Wen (文): 

• Culture or refinement used to broaden the individual. (Analects)

• Xiao (孝):

•  Filial piety or family reverence; a fundamental self-discipline. (Analects 1.2, 2.5)

• Yi (义): 

• Appropriate conduct or moral vision; fitting action to a situation. (Analects 4.10, 15.18)

• Yoga: 

• The process of "yoking" to a higher reality; "skill in action." (Bhagavad Gita 2.50, 6.20)

• Yong (勇): 

• Valor or risk-taking on behalf of ethical principles. (Analects)

• Zhong (忠): 

•Doing one's utmost; loyalty and alignment of self-interest with the group. (Analects)

• Telos -

• Aristotle’s universe is teleological—everything is defined by telos (end, goal, or purpose).

• Leviathan: 

• A terrifying aquatic creature used to show human limits. (Job 41)

• The Function Argument (Ergon):

• To find the human good, we must find the human function.

• Activity, not a State:

• It is the use of virtue, not just having it. You aren't "happy" while asleep or inactive. (NE I.8

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• Complete:

• It is always chosen for itself, never for the sake of something else. (NE I.7)