Philosophy terms to know

philosophy

the study of thought, “love of wisdom”

“jamilla loves to learn. she is enthralled by ideas“

“elizabeth is studying anthropology because she loves to learn about ancient people“

Logic

distinguishing correct from incorrect

“a is equal to b. b is equal to c. c must be equal to a“

“what you’re saying doesn’t make sense. your conclusion must be wrong“

Inductive reasoning

specific example to general conclusion

“the car has not started the last two times. it will never start”

“every dust particle we have analyzed from the moon has zinc on it. it is our conclusion that all the dust on the moon contains zinc”

Deductive reasoning

General example to specific conclusion

“all cats are carnivores. i guess my cat will be a meat eater too”

“all water is H2O. this droplet of water is H2O”

cosmology

study of the universe

“janis is fascinated by the mechanisms of the universe”

“the study of nature reveals universal laws of physics”

epistemology

study of human knowledge

“the human brain tends to categorize information in groups of seven”

“human beings learn and gain

metaphysics

study of things that are outside of human perception

“if the universe has order, a supreme being must have created it”

“time is relative”

ontology

study of being and existence

“sometimes i wonder about the nature of existance”

“how do i know if a desk truly exists”

wisdom

judgement, intellectual virtue

“knowledge with understanding makes for a person of true character”

“the truth is out there; we must learn to approach it with awe”

morality

right and wrong in light of faith

“if a man asks for your shirt, give him your cloak as well. jesus calls us to such generosity”

“sexuality is a gift from god. it will not be abused”

knowledge

justified true belief

“i saw you throw a book at her. i know you did it”

“i measured the volume of the tank. it hold 5 cubic litres of water”

ethics

evaluating human conduct in light of reason

“we can’t be killing each other anytime we want, or no one will be safe”

“i guess ill help you because i may need your help someday

truth

concept of way things are

“you do seem insensitive. how could you yell at that old woman”

“we can accomplish more if we get along. look at the beautiful building we just built together”

absolute truth

true no matter the circumstances

“no means no”

“it is never okay to punch a three month old baby”

relative truth

true under specific social environments

“Sometimes it’s okay to yell and get mad”

“being a stay-at-home mom was expected of women a generation ago”

natural theology

study of divine through human nature

“the more i discover about the human brain, the more i discover about god”

“the environmental studies course led me to a deeper appreciation of the marvels of connection”

semantics

theory of meaning, signification of symbols

“the cross is a symbol which reminds us of our brokenness”

“words have the power to heal or hurt”

syllogism

conclusion following two or more premises

categorical syllogism

3 propositions, two premises, and conclusion

“all persons need love. i am a person. i need love.”

“all water is H2O. this is a drop of water. This water is H2O”

premise

factual statement that provides reason to proposition

“some people like to eat bananas”

“all men and women are afraid of the dark”

conditional syllogism

if antecedent, then precedent

“if you love me, then you’ll be nice to me”

“when you come inside, you’ll get dried off”

antecedent

condition, IF…, then…

“IF YOU LOVE ME, you’ll be nice to me”

precedent

outcome, if…, THEN…

“if you love me, YOU’LL BE NICE TO ME”

fallacy

a mistake in reasoning

“all men are pigs. hence, you are a pig”

“you only have such stupid ideas because you’re ugly”

formal fallacy

invalid arguements, wrong structure

informal fallacy

attempt to persuade that fails, wrong words