Lesson 1 – Overview of Philosophy and Ethics

These flashcards cover key philosophers, epochs, major concepts, and ethical foundations from Lesson 1: Overview of Philosophy and Ethics.

What is the literal meaning of the word “philosophy”?

Love of wisdom (from the Greek words ‘philo’ = love and ‘sophia’ = wisdom).

Who was the first person to use the term “philosophy”?

Pythagoras.

Name the three major epochs in the history of philosophy.

Cosmocentric, Theocentric, and Anthropocentric epochs.

Which epoch is also called the Ancient Period and focuses on the origin of the world?

The Cosmocentric Epoch.

Which country is recognized as the birthplace of philosophy?

Greece.

Why were early Greek thinkers called the “first natural scientists”?

Because they sought natural explanations for the origin and nature of the world.

What primal matter did Thales of Miletus propose as the origin of all things?

Water.

Which philosopher introduced the concept of ‘apeiron’ and what does it mean?

Anaximander; ‘apeiron’ means the boundless or indefinite.

According to Anaximenes, what is the fundamental substance of reality?

Air.

Whose theory traced natural movements to a cosmic mind or ‘nous’?

Anaxagoras.

State Socrates’ famous maxim about self-knowledge.

“Know thyself.”

According to Socrates, what are the two components of the human person?

Body and soul.

Which realm, in Socrates’ view, is changeable and imperfect?

The Physical Realm.

Which realm, according to Socrates, is unchanging and immortal?

The Ideal Realm.

What did Plato assert about the soul?

The soul is immortal.

According to Plato, what is the purpose of philosophy regarding the soul?

It is a purification of the soul.

List Plato’s three parts of the soul.

Rational, Spirited, and Appetitive.

Which part of Plato’s soul is responsible for reason and intellect?

The Rational Soul.

Which philosopher stated, “The soul is the essence of the self”?

Aristotle.

For Aristotle, how many kinds of soul exist and what are they?

Three: Vegetative, Sentient, and Rational.

Which epoch of philosophy centers on the knowledge of God?

The Theocentric Epoch (Medieval Period).

Give St. Augustine’s famous statement that parallels Descartes’ cogito.

“I am doubting, therefore I am.”

How did St. Augustine view the relationship between soul and body?

The soul is united with the body.

Which epoch of philosophy focuses on man?

The Anthropocentric Epoch (Modern Period).

State René Descartes’ foundational philosophical statement.

“I think therefore I am.”

Name Descartes’ two distinct entities and define them.

Cogito – mind; Extenza – body.

What did John Locke identify as the essence of the self?

Consciousness.

What metaphor did Locke use for the mind at birth?

Tabula rasa (blank slate).

What was David Hume’s radical claim about the self?

There is no self; it is only a bundle of perceptions.

According to Immanuel Kant, how do we know reality?

The self constructs reality through rationality.

How did Gilbert Ryle define the self?

The self is the way people behave.

What was Paul Churchland’s materialist view of the self?

The self is the brain; the mind does not exist separately.

Maurice Merleau-Ponty described the self in what way?

As embodied subjectivity.

Which sub-field of philosophy examines beauty and artistic value?

Philosophy of Art.

What does the Philosophy of Education study?

The application of philosophical methods to educational issues.

Which sub-field focuses on the laws of thought and valid argumentation?

Philosophy of Logic.

What branch of philosophy provides explanations of natural phenomena?

Philosophy of Science.

Define Moral Philosophy in one phrase.

The branch of philosophy that contemplates what is right and wrong.

Give the basic definition of ethics.

The science of the morality of human conduct.

Differentiate a ‘human act’ from an ‘act of man’.

A human act involves free will, knowledge, and voluntariness; an act of man lacks these elements.

List the essential qualities of a human act.

Knowledge, freedom, and voluntariness.

What three qualities define acts of man?

Done without knowledge, without consent, and involuntary.

From which Latin word is ‘morality’ derived and what does it mean?

‘Mos, moris’ meaning character, behavior, morals, custom, or habit.

What does the Greek word ‘ethos’ signify, giving rise to the term ethics?

A characteristic way of acting.

According to M. Velasquez, how do morality and ethics differ?

Morality refers to standards of right and wrong; ethics studies those standards.

Name the three branches of moral philosophy.

Meta-ethics, Normative ethics, and Applied ethics.

What does Meta-Ethics study?

The theoretical meaning and reference of moral propositions.

What is the focus of Normative Ethics?

Practical means for determining a moral course of action.

Applied Ethics concerns itself with what?

Specific obligations in particular situations.

List two reasons why ethics is important.

(Any two) It satisfies basic human needs, creates credibility, unites people and leaders, improves decision-making, secures society.

Give one reason students should study ethics.

(Any one) To live an authentic life, achieve success, cultivate inner peace, promote a stable society, or assist in the afterlife.

Define ‘postulate’ in the context of ethics.

A proven fact that needs to be presupposed.

Name the three postulates in ethics.

Existence of God; existence of intellect and free will; spirituality and immortality of the soul.

State one of the four postulates of actions in ethics.

(Any one) Some actions are right/wrong; some actions are obligatory/ not obligatory; humans are responsible for actions; right actions are rewardable and wrong actions punishable.