Introduction to Philosophy: Definitions, Concepts, and Main Branches

Vocabulary flashcards defining core terms, etymologies, key figures, and branches of philosophy covered in the PhiloNotes introduction.

Philia

A Greek word meaning 'love,' understood in the context of philosophy as a strong desire for a particular object.

Sophia

A Greek word meaning 'wisdom,' defined as the correct application of knowledge.

Philosophy (Etymological Definition)

Derived from the Greek words 'philia' (love) and 'sophia' (wisdom), literally meaning 'love of wisdom' or the strong human desire to possess knowledge and apply it correctly.

Philosophy (Traditional Definition)

A science that studies beings and their ultimate causes, reasons, and principles through human reason alone.

Being (Ser)

In philosophical context, refers to all things that exist, whether material (e.g., stones, trees, people, cars, air, water) or immaterial (e.g., God, soul, spirits).

Karl Jaspers' Conception of Philosophy

The view held by German existentialist philosopher Karl Jaspers that philosophy is a discipline in which questions are more important than answers, because answers themselves become new questions.

Metaphysics (Etymology)

Derived from the Greek words 'meta' (beyond or after) and 'physika' (physical or nature), meaning the study of things beyond the physical, such as God, freedom, and the soul.

First Philosophy

The name given by Aristotle to metaphysics, which is commonly understood as the foundation of philosophy.

Ontology (General Metaphysics)

Derived from 'onto' (being / that which is) and 'logos' (knowledge / study), it is the branch of philosophy that studies beings in their ultimate causes, reasons, principles, or essence through reason alone.

Logos (Heraclitus)

Understood by late 6th-century BC Greek philosopher Heraclitus as the reason or underlying principle of everything that exists.

Cosmology

A sub-branch of special metaphysics derived from 'cosmos' (world) and 'logos' (study) that studies the world or universe, including its origin, dynamics, characteristics, and governing laws.

Psychology (Philosophical Metaphysics)

A sub-branch of special metaphysics derived from 'psyche' (soul/mind) and 'logos' (study) that studies the soul or mind, as well as the nature and dynamics of the human person as a whole.

Theodicy (Natural Theology)

Derived from 'theos' (God), a sub-branch of special metaphysics concerned with the study of God and the justification of God's goodness in the presence of evil and suffering in the world.

Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz

18th-century German philosopher who coined the term 'Theodicy' in his 1710 work titled 'Theodicy'.

Epistemology

Derived from 'episteme' (knowledge) and 'logos' (study), the major branch of philosophy that studies the nature and scope of knowledge and justified belief.

Logic

Derived from 'logos', defined as the science of correct thinking or the study of the principles and criteria of valid argumentation.

Ethics

Derived from a Greek word meaning custom or habit, it is the major branch of philosophy concerned with the morality of human actions, correct conduct, and the pursuit of the highest good.

Difference Between Ethics and Morality

Ethics denotes the theory of right action and the highest good, whereas morality indicates the practice—the rightness or wrongness of a human action.