GST212 Philosophy Lecture Notes Flashcards

These flashcards provide term definitions and core concepts from the GST212 Philosophy lecture notes, covering branches of philosophy, logic rules, fallacies, and modes of thought.

Philosophy

Derived from the Greek words 'Philo' (love) and 'Sophia' (wisdom), it implies 'love of wisdom' or 'love of knowledge.'

Speculative Mode

A systematic and critical search for wholeness and order of knowledge in all realms of thought and experience, concerned with ultimate reality.

Prescriptive Mode

A normative mode of philosophy interested in establishing standards for assessing values, judging conduct, and appraising art (what ought to be).

Analytic Mode

A method focused on the clarification of language, concepts, and logical structures to eliminate ambiguity and confusion.

Dialectical Mode

A philosophy mode involving dialogue, argument, and the synthesis of opposing viewpoints (thesis and antithesis) to uncover truth.

Metaphysics

Derived from 'Meta' (after/beyond) and 'Physika' (nature), it seeks to explain the universal elements of reality that exist beyond the physical world.

Ontology

The 'science of being'; a part of metaphysics that studies existence and the fundamental categories of reality.

Cosmology

The study of theories about the origin, nature, and development of the universe as an orderly system.

Theology

The portion of religious theory that deals with conceptions of and about God and His relationship to the world.

Epistemology

Known as the 'theory of knowledge,' derived from 'episteme' (knowledge) and 'logos' (study of), dealing with the nature and scope of knowledge.

Skepticism

The philosophical position that reliable knowledge cannot be acquired and that searches for truth are in vain.

Agnosticism

A profession of ignorance regarding the existence or non-existence of God.

Revelation source

Knowledge gained from a deity or God, presupposing a transcendent supernatural reality that communicates divine will.

Empirical source

Knowledge acquired through the observation of things using the five senses: hearing, seeing, feeling, smelling, and tasting.

Authoritative source

Knowledge accepted based on its origin from experts or sanctified tradition, such as textbooks or teachers.

Rational source

Knowledge acquired through the use of human reasoning and the mind's power of thought, often using formal logic.

Intuition source

Knowledge that comes suddenly and directly to the knower as a flash of insight without passing through a reasoning process.

Axiology

Derived from 'Axios' (worth/value) and 'Logos' (theory), it is the branch of philosophy studying judgments about values, including ethics and aesthetics.

Ethics

The study of moral values and conduct, evaluating human habits and character to determine what makes actions right or wrong.

Aesthetics

The examination of what is beautiful, enjoyable, or tasteful, searching for the principles governing the creation and appreciation of art.

Logic

The branch of philosophy concerned with reasoning and the distinction between correct and incorrect arguments.

Deductive Logic

A reasoning process starting from general premises to arrive at a specific, necessary conclusion.

Inductive Logic

A reasoning process proceeding from observations of particular instances to a general conclusion based on probability.

Syllogism

A three-step deductive argument consisting of a Major Premise (assumption), a Minor Premise (substantiation), and a Conclusion.

Law of Identity

A fundamental law of thought stating 'whatever is, is,' represented by the symbolism $1=1$.

Law of Non-contradiction

A law of thought stating that a true and false proposition cannot coexist and be true to the same extent and in the same way.

Law of Excluded Middle

A logical principle in classical logic stating that every assertion is either true or untrue ($p \lor \neg p$).

Modus Ponens (M.P.)

A rule of inference: If a conditional statement and its antecedent are true, the consequent is true ($p \rightarrow q, p \therefore q$).

Modus Tollens (M.T.)

A rule of inference: If the consequent of a conditional is false, the antecedent must be false ($p \rightarrow q, \neg q \therefore \neg p$).

Hypothetical Syllogism (H.S.)

The 'chain rule' of logic: If one thing leads to a second and the second leads to a third, the first leads to the third ($p \rightarrow q, q \rightarrow r \therefore p \rightarrow r$).

Disjunctive Syllogism (D.S.)

A logic rule: If given an 'either/or' scenario and one option is ruled out, the other must be true ($p \lor q, \neg p \therefore q$).

Constructive Dilemma (C.D.)

A complex rule combining two conditionals with a disjunction ($(p \rightarrow q) \land (r \rightarrow s), p \lor r \therefore q \lor s$).

Simplification (Simp.)

A rule stating that if a conjunction (two things joined by 'and') is true, either individual part can be pulled out as true ($p \land q \therefore p$).

Conjunction (Conj.)

The logic rule stating that if two separate statements are true, they can be joined with 'and' ($p, q \therefore p \land q$).

Addition (Add.)

A rule stating that if a statement is true, any other statement can be attached to it with an 'or' ($p \therefore p \lor q$).

Fallacy

A flawed argument or reasoning that appears superficially sound but relies on unsound logic or misleading tactics.

Formal Fallacy

A flaw in an argument's logical structure, making it invalid regardless of its content.

Ad Hominem Fallacy

An informal fallacy involving attacking an individual's personality rather than the validity of their argument.

Red Herring Fallacy

The introduction of irrelevant information to distract attention from the main issue.

Straw Man Fallacy

Misrepresenting an opponent's argument to make it easier to attack.

False Dilemma

Presenting only two options when more possibilities actually exist.

Bandwagon Fallacy

Claiming an issue is true simply because many people believe it (Argumentum ad Populum).

Hasty Generalisation

Drawing broad conclusions from insufficient or limited evidence.

Circular Reasoning

The fallacy of assuming the conclusion is true within the premise of the argument (Begging the Question).

Post Hoc (False Cause)

Assuming that one event caused another simply because it occurred first.

Creative Thinking

The ability to generate new ideas, concepts, or solutions by thinking outside conventional boundaries through divergent thinking.

Critical Thinking

The ability to analyze, evaluate, and synthesize information in a logical manner through convergent thinking.

Dualistic Thinking

The first stage of critical thinking defined by simplistic binary categorization (right vs. wrong).

Multiplicity Thinking

The second stage of critical thinking where learners recognize that some questions lack definitive answers and multiple perspectives exist.

Relativism Thinking

The third stage of critical thinking involving the critical evaluation of sources and the comparison of viewpoints.

Commitment Thinking

The final stage of critical thinking where learners integrate evidence and experience to settle on informed personal beliefs.

Falsafa

Islamic philosophy involving logic, physics, ethics, and metaphysics, championed by figures like Ibn Sina and Ibn Rushd.

Kalam

Islamic scholastic theology that uses logic and dialectic to defend Islamic doctrine.

Tawhid

The core Islamic concept of the Oneness of God, serving as the starting point for all Islamic philosophy.

Existentialism

A philosophical tradition asserting that existence precedes essence, emphasizing individual freedom and the responsibility to create meaning.