Philosophy Reviewer

Philosophy

means “love of wisdom.” It involves thinking, evaluating, and engaging in arguments. The study that used human reason to investigate the ultimate causes and principles that govern the world.

Practical Knowledge

“Love of Wisdom” By Pythagoras. The application of practical knowledge. Introduced the 3 types of people→ those that love Pleasure, Activity, Wisdom

Digging into the roots

By Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas. Using deductive and inductive logic, you investigate through the fundamental aspects of all things.

Theoria-Praxis Continuum

By East-West Synthesis. Theoria is a guide for praxis, when skills are applied to conduct the practice and succeeds, the practice becomes a standard and the theory is justification.

Socratic Method

The Art of Questioning by Socrates. Asking the right questions will get you the right answers.

Questions over answers

By Karl Jaspers. Focusing on the questions and the responses created by discourse to create better questions and find true answers.

The Hermeneutics of Facticity

By Martin Heidegger. “People interpret things differently as they encounter them in a variety of ways”

Philosophical Reflections

The beginning of finding an answer is to ask a philosophical question

Principle of Identity

it means that a thing, idea, or person always has a name, a concept, and a characteristic for that thing to exist.

Principle of Non-contradiction

denies that a thing can be and not be simultaneously.

Principle of Excluded Middle

everything must either be or not be. There is no middle ground conceivable.

Principle of Sufficient Reason

nothing happens without a sufficient reason for its being and existence.

Material Causality

What is it made of?

Formal Causality

What is the design or structure?

Efficient Causality

How is it done or made?

Final Causality

Why was it made? Why does it exist?

Epistemology

The study of knowledge. Acquiring and Validating it through Empiricism and Rationalism.

Metaphysics

Beyond reality (meta-fusica). Questioning the bigger picture. Idealism and Realism or Mind vs Matter

Ethics

“Mans will” What is good/evil or right/wrong?

Logic

“Human thought” using correct thinking or reasoning. Deductive or Inductive

Aesthetics

Finding value and beauty

How to acquire knowledge:

Reality, Perception, Concept, Propositions, Arguments

Reality

It includes everything we perceive and everything inside our heads. Represents our inner world.

Perception

Our first and only contact with reality is through our senses. Knowledge begins with perceptual learning.

Concept

An abstract or generic idea generalized

from instances.

Propositions

Fact or Claim. They are statements about the world or reality are called propositions. Propositions may or may not carry the truth.

Arguments

A series of statements that provide reasons to convince the reader/ listener that a claim/ opinion is truthful.

Truth

is knowledge validated based on the facts of reality. Independent of your thoughts, feelings, or preferences.

Doubt

is essential in philosophy, as it drives our desire to discover truth.

Scientific Domain

truth related to scientific truths; pertains to the natural world that maintains relative independence from the perspective and attitude of human beings that perceive them.

Social Domain

the truth is related to a general agreement or consensus on what is right instead of wrong. Based on norms (standard of acceptable behavior in society)

Personal Domain

truth is related to “sincerity” and consistent with inner thoughts and intentions. The needs to establish “trust”.

Characteristics of Truth

Can be confirmed with other resources

Independent of one’s interpretation,

Based on facts of reality.

Opinion

is a statement that represents not facts but an interpretation of facts, which may reveal biases.

Characteristics of Opinion

Cannot be confirmed

Open to interpretation

Based on emotions

Inherently biased

Beliefs

statements that express convictions that are not quickly and clearly explained by facts.

Explanations

statements that assume the claim to be true and provide reasons why the statement is true.

Fallacy

Erroneous reasoning that has the appearance of soundness. It may be intentional, as the person making the claim is desperate to convince people to accept their arguments.

Ad Hominem

attacking the person presenting the arguments instead of the argument itself

Appeal to force

using heat of force or an undesirable event to advance an argument.

Appeal to emotion

using emotions such as pity or sympathy.

Appeal to popularity

the idea is presented as acceptable because many people accept it.

Appeal to tradition

the idea is acceptable because it has been confirmed for a long time.

Begging the question

assuming the thing or idea to be proven is true; also known as "circular argument" or “assuming the conclusion.”

Cause and effect

assuming a "cause-and-effect" relationship between unrelated events. You are committed whenever some event is held to be the cause of another when, in fact, the events are not causally related at all.

Hasty Generalization

An argument that arrives at its conclusion with too little evidence to support it. Usually, it is false due to insufficient sample size.

Fallacy of Composition

assuming that what is true of a part is true for the whole. Committed when one concludes that the parts have certain attributes, the whole also has them.

Fallacy of Division

assuming that what is true for the whole is true for its part. It occurs when the inference is made that because the whole or collection has a certain property, its parts or members must also have it.

Biases

are tendencies or influences which affect people's views. An action of supporting or opposing a particular person or thing in an unfair way because of allowing personal opinions to influence your judgment.

Correspondence/Attribution Effect

Tendency to judge a person's personality by their actions, without regard for external factors or influence.

Confirmation bias

tendency to look for and readily accept information that fits one's own beliefs or views and to reject ideas or views that go against it.

Framing

focusing on a certain aspect of a problem while ignoring other factors.

Conflict of Interest

a person or group is connected to or has a vested interest in the discussed issue.

Cultural Bias

analyzing an event or issue based on one’s cultural standards.