Basic Logic and Philosophy Practice Flashcards

These flashcards cover the foundational concepts of Philosophy and Logic as detailed in the provided lecture notes, including its branches, methods, historical periods, schools of thought, and logical structures.

Philosophy (Etymological)

Derived from the Greek words 'philo' (love of) and 'sophia' (wisdom), meaning 'Love of wisdom'.

Populist Notion of Philosophy

A layman's or commonsensical understanding of philosophy used to characterize a person's attitude, world outlook, or general pattern of response to events.

Professional Notion of Philosophy

The academic discipline taught in higher institutions where scholars engage in rational investigation of fundamental problems about man and the universe.

Metaphysics

The branch of philosophy that deals with abstract entities and things beyond the physical world; Aristotle referred to it as 'first philosophy'.

Ontology

A branch of metaphysics that studies concepts such as existence, being, becoming, and reality in its entirety.

Cosmology

A branch of metaphysics concerned with the study of the universe or cosmos.

Epistemology

Derived from the Greek words 'Episteme' (knowledge) and 'Logos' (reason), it is the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature, scope, limits, and justification of human knowledge.

Skepticism

The belief that the human mind is incapable of comprehending knowledge or that knowledge of whatever type is impossible.

Rationalism

An epistemological school of thought holding that reason is the primary and only reliable source of knowledge (a priori), often emphasizing innate ideas.

Empiricism

A view that all knowledge, with the exception of logic and mathematics, is derived from sense experience (a posteriori).

Ethics

Derived from the Greek word 'ethos' (custom or character), it is the branch of philosophy dealing with the morality of human actions.

Logic

The branch of philosophy that deals with recognizing principles to distinguish between correct and incorrect reasoning; the science of correct inference.

Axiology

The study of value in things, investigating its nature, criteria for application, and metaphysical status.

Aesthetics

The study of value in arts or the inquiry into feelings, judgments, or standards of beauty.

Analytic Method

A philosophical method that assesses complex systems of thought by breaking them into minute component parts to bring relationships into focus.

Hermeneutic Method

Derived from 'Hermeneuin', it is the method of philosophy that enhances understanding through interpretation, traditionally used in theology and jurisprudence.

Phenomenological Method

The reflective study of the essence of consciousness as experienced from the first person's point of view, established by Edmund Husserl.

Dialectic Method

A 'back and forth' movement between two opposing propositions (thesis and antithesis) to discover new knowledge (synthesis).

Dialogic Method

A conversational method involving communication between two or more people to sort out issues and arrive at mutual understanding.

Idealism

The philosophical position claiming that ideas are the primary source of knowledge and that objects cannot exist independently of the mind.

Realism

The doctrine that the objects of our sensual perceptions are real in themselves and exist independent of any mind that perceives them.

Existentialism

A philosophical movement concerned with human existence, arguing that meaning in life is entirely determined by the individual rather than external forces.

Pragmatism

A movement asserting that an ideology or proposition is true if it works satisfactorily or has practical application.

Utilitarianism

An ethical theory holding that an action is right if it leads to the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people.

Humanism

A philosophy of life that considers the welfare of humankind to be of paramount importance based on reason, evidence, and free inquiry.

Apeiron

The term used by Anaximander for the ultimate ground of all things, meaning the 'boundless', 'infinite', or 'indefinite'.

Socratic Method

A conversational technique of education that proceeds by a series of questions and answers to expose inadequacy in answers and lead to truth.

Aristotle's Four Causes

The formal cause (shape/design), material cause (matter), efficient cause (agent/antecedent), and final cause (purpose).

Cogito, ergo sum

Rene Descartes' famous philosophical statement: 'I think, therefore I am'.

Tabula Rasa

The metaphor of a 'blank tablet' used by empiricists to describe the mind at birth, devoid of any innate ideas.

Existence Precedes Essence

Jean-Paul Sartre's assertion that man first exists, confronts himself, and defines himself afterwards.

Ethno-philosophy

A school of African philosophy based on the works of ethnographers and anthropologists interpreting African worldviews, myths, and folklores.

Philosophicality and Africanity

The two basic scientific criteria used to determine if an enterprise is both genuine formal philosophy and authentically African.

Historical Method (African Philosophy)

A methodic approach for recovering African philosophy through four moments: Deconstruction, Reduction, Reconstruction, and Construction.

Argument

A discourse or group of propositions in which one (the conclusion) is claimed to follow from others (the premises).

Deductive Argument

An argument where the premises are claimed to provide conclusive grounds for the truth of the conclusion; it is either valid or invalid.

Inductive Argument

An argument where the premises give only probable reasons for the conclusion; the truth of the premises does not guarantee the conclusion.

Categorical Syllogism

A deductive argument consisting of three categorical propositions containing exactly three terms, each appearing twice.

The Mood of a Syllogism

The form of the three constituent propositions identified by the letters $A$, $E$, $I$, or $O$.

Fallacy

A type of argument that seems to be correct but contains a mistake in reasoning, which may be intentional or unintentional.

Argumentum ad Baculum

An appeal to force or threat to persuade someone to accept a particular point of view.

Argumentum ad Hominem

An error in reasoning where the arguer attacks the person making the argument rather than the argument itself.

Argumentum ad Misericordiam

A fallacy committed when an appeal is made to pity or mercy to ground the acceptance of a conclusion.

Petitio Principii

Also known as 'begging the question', a circular argument where the conclusion is already assumed in the premises.