philosophy unit 1 aos1

Philosophy

The academic discipline that examines existence, understanding, purpose, and values. It encompasses the study of reality, knowledge, meaning, and value.

Thought experiment

A mental scenario designed to explore a philosophical question. It is a way of reasoning through philosophical questions using imagined situations.

Subjective

Experiences that depend on a first-person point of view. They involve personal feelings, perceptions, and awareness that cannot be directly accessed by others.

Objective

Facts that are independent of individual perspectives. They describe the world as it is and can be publicly tested and verified.

Skepticism

The philosophical view that humans cannot have certain knowledge and cannot be completely sure that their beliefs about the world are true.

Epistemology

The branch of philosophy that studies the nature, origin, scope, and limits of human knowledge.

Metaphysics

The branch of philosophy that investigates the ultimate nature of reality, existence, and being beyond physical scientific observation.

Way of knowing

A framework that determines what counts as evidence, what counts as an explanation, and what types of questions can be answered when seeking knowledge.

Consciousness

The state of subjective awareness and experience, including the relationship between the mind and body.

Qualia

The intrinsic and subjective qualities of experience that can only be accessed from a first-person perspective.

Premise

A statement that provides support or reasons for another statement within an argument.

Argument

A set of statements in which premises are presented to support a conclusion.

Conclusion

The final claim or judgment that follows from the premises of an argument.

Ought

A philosophical term referring to a moral duty or obligation about what a person should do.

Normative argument

An argument that attempts to establish what ought to be done or what is morally required.

Deductive argument

An argument where if the premises are true, the conclusion must also be true.

Inductive argument

An argument where the premises provide strong support for the conclusion, but the conclusion is not guaranteed.

Standard form

A method of rewriting an argument where each premise is listed separately and the conclusion is clearly identified to show the logical structure.

Rhetoric

The use of language and techniques to persuade others, often in political or public discussion.

Presuppose

To assume something beforehand or accept something as true before further reasoning.

Mind independent reality

Reality that exists regardless of whether it is perceived, thought about, or experienced by any mind.

Mind dependent reality

Reality that exists only in relation to perception, thought, or experience and may not exist without minds.

Idealism

The metaphysical view that reality depends on minds or perception. George Berkeley summarised this as 'to be is to be perceived'.

Materialism

The metaphysical view that reality is fundamentally physical and exists independently of minds, while mental states depend on physical processes.

Dualism

The view that reality consists of two fundamental types of substance or entities, typically mind and matter.

Ontology

The branch of metaphysics concerned with the nature of being and existence and what kinds of things exist.

Standard form structure

An argument structure including: Premise 1, Premise 2, Premise 3, and Conclusion.

Peter van Inwagen definition of metaphysics

Metaphysics attempts to describe the most general features of reality without relying on any specific method of investigation.

George Berkeley principle

'To be is to be perceived.' This means something exists only if it is perceived by a mind.