PHILOSOPHY

Philosophy

The study of fundamental questions about existence, knowledge, values, reason, and the self.

Self

The individual's awareness of their own identity and existence.

Identity

The qualities, beliefs, personality, looks, and expressions that make a person or group.

Socratic Method

A form of cooperative argumentative dialogue that stimulates critical thinking and illuminates ideas through questioning.

Dualism

The philosophical concept that the mind and body are distinct and separable.

Theory of Forms

Plato's idea that non-material abstract forms (or ideas) represent the most accurate reality.

Tabula Rasa

John Locke's theory that individuals are born without built-in mental content and that knowledge comes from experience and perception.

Empiricism

The theory that all knowledge is derived from sense experience.

Bundle Theory

David Hume's concept that the self is a collection of perceptions and experiences rather than a singular entity.

Transcendental

Relating to a spiritual realm beyond the physical world.

Psychoanalysis

A method of treating mental illness through dialogue and the exploration of the unconscious mind, developed by Sigmund Freud.

Eliminative Materialism

Paul Churchland's view that common-sense understanding of the mind is false and that mental states do not exist as traditionally conceived.

Embodied Subjectivity

Maurice Merleau-Ponty's idea that the body is integral to the experience of self and knowledge of the world.

Critical Thinking

The ability to analyze and evaluate an issue in order to form a judgment.

Self-Knowledge

Awareness of one's own character, feelings, motives, and desires.

Virtue

Moral excellence and righteousness, necessary for achieving happiness according to Socrates.

Inner and Outer Self

The distinction between one's internal thoughts and feelings versus their external actions and perceptions.

Consciousness

The state of being aware of and able to think about one's own existence, thoughts, and surroundings.