IPHP 12 Midterm Exam Reviewer Flashcards

Flashcards in Question and Answer format reviewing Lessons 1 through 7 for the IPHP 12 Midterm Exam.

What do the root words "Philo" and "Sophia" mean in Philosophy?

"Philo" means Love, and "Sophia" means Wisdom; therefore, Philosophy means the love of wisdom and a philosopher is a lover of wisdom.

What historical transition marked the beginning of Philosophy?

Philosophy began when people moved from mythos (mythical explanations) to logos (rational explanations).

How is Philosophy defined as an academic discipline?

It is an academic discipline that involves critical thinking, rigorous questioning, and systematic inquiry into fundamental questions about existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language.

What is Metaphysics and what primary questions does it ask?

Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy dealing with the fundamental nature of reality (including mind and matter, substance and attribute, potentiality and actuality). It asks: "What is real?", "Does God exist?", and "What is the nature of time and space?"

What are the Greek root words for Metaphysics and their meanings?

"Meta" means after or beyond, and "physika" means physical things or nature.

What is Epistemology and what questions does it examine?

Epistemology is the branch of philosophy concerned with the theory of knowledge, investigating its origin, nature, methods, and limits. It asks: "What is Knowledge?", "How do we know what we know?", and "Can we truly know anything?"

What are the Greek root words for Epistemology and their definitions?

"Episteme" means knowledge or understanding, and "logos" means study of or discourse.

What is Ethics in philosophy and what are its Greek roots?

Ethics explores moral principles and values, asking what is good/bad and right/wrong. Its root words are "Ethos" (character, custom, or habit) and "Ethikos" (pertaining to character).

How is Aesthetics defined in philosophy?

Aesthetics is the branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of beauty, art, taste, and the creation and appreciation of beauty.

What are the Greek roots for Aesthetics and their meanings?

"Aesthesis" means sensation, perception, or feeling through the senses, and "aesthetic" means pertaining to sense perception or perspective.

What is Logic and what does it study?

Logic is the branch of philosophy concerned with correct reasoning and argumentation, studying the principles of valid inference and demonstration.

What are the Greek root components of Logic?

"Logos" (word, reason, or argument) and "techne" (art, craft, or skill).

What is the difference between a Partial Point of View and a Holistic Perspective?

A partial point of view looks at only a limited aspect or single side of a situation, leading to an incomplete understanding. A holistic perspective looks at the "big picture," considering all interconnected parts, relationships, and context.

Who was Aristotle and what were his dates of life?

Aristotle (384-322 BCE) was an Ancient Greek philosopher, student of Plato, teacher of Alexander the Great, and one of the most influential philosophers in history.

What are Aristotle's Four Causes?

Material Cause, Formal Cause, Efficient Cause, and Final Cause.

What does Aristotle's Material Cause ask and represent?

It asks "What is it made of?" and represents the material or substance from which something is made (e.g., wood, metal, or plastic for a chair).

What does Aristotle's Formal Cause ask and represent?

It asks "What makes it what it is?" and represents the design, form, or structure of something (e.g., four legs, a seat, and a backrest for a chair).

What does Aristotle's Efficient Cause ask and represent?

It asks "Who or what made it?" and represents the person, force, or process that brought something into existence (e.g., a carpenter building a chair).

What does Aristotle's Final Cause ask and represent?

It asks "Why does it exist?" and represents the purpose or function of something (e.g., sitting for a chair).

What are the life dates and title of St. Thomas Aquinas?

St. Thomas Aquinas lived from 1225 to March 7, 1274, and is known as the "Angelic Doctor" (Doctor Angelicus).

What were the two major written works of St. Thomas Aquinas mentioned in the lecture?

Summa Theologiae (written to explain the Christian faith to theology students) and Summa Contra Gentiles (a defense of the Catholic faith showing that faith and reason work together).

What are St. Thomas Aquinas' Five Proofs of God's existence?

1. The Argument of Motion, 2. The Argument from Efficient Cause, 3. The Argument from Necessary Being, 4. The Argument from Gradation, 5. The Argument from Design.

What is a Contingent Being according to St. Thomas Aquinas' third proof?

A being that can start or stop existing and depends on something else for its existence.

What does the Dogma of the Holy Trinity state?

"God is One Divine Nature in Three Divine Persons": Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

In Trinitarian theology, what is the distinction between Substance and Person?

Substance refers to what God is (one divine essence), while Person refers to who God is (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit).

What does the concept of Perichoresis mean?

It is the mutual indwelling of the three Persons of the Trinity, where each fully shares in the life of the others and all three occupy the same divine space.

What is St. Augustine's best analogy for the Holy Trinity?

"He that loves, and that which is loved, and love."

What is the Hypostatic Union of Christ?

The theological concept that Jesus Christ is one person with two distinct natures: Divine Nature and Human Nature.

What four core terms describe how the two natures coexist in the Hypostatic Union?

Without confusion (divine does not become human and human does not become divine), without change (neither nature is altered or lost), without division (they are united in one person), and without separation (they are never parted).