Philosophical Concepts and Arguments

This set of flashcards covers key philosophical concepts, arguments, and theorists mentioned in the lecture notes, focusing on soundness, validity, skepticism, determinism, and free will.

What is Skepticism in philosophy?

A philosophical attitude questioning the possibility of certainty in knowledge.

Who is associated with Empiricism?

David Hume is known for his advocacy of Empiricism.

What does Ontological Idealism propose?

That reality is fundamentally mental or immaterial; Berkeley is a key figure.

What is Moore's position called?

Anti-Skepticism, which argues against extreme skeptical doubt.

What is Verificationism?

The theory that a statement is only meaningful if it can be verified through empirical observation, associated with Carnap.

What is the Hard Problem of Consciousness?

Chalmers' term referring to the difficulty of explaining why and how we have qualitative experiences.

What is Dualism according to Chalmers?

The view that mental phenomena are non-physical and exist independently from the physical.

What does the Chinese Room argument demonstrate?

Searle's argument that a program could simulate understanding but not truly understand.

What is the Psychology Criterion of Identity proposed by Locke?

Identity is based on psychological continuity including memories and consciousness.

What is Psychological Connectedness according to Parfit?

A concept where personal identity is based on psychological connections over time.

What does Perdurance mean in philosophy?

David Lewis's view that objects are extended in time and consist of temporal parts.

What is Compatibilism?

Frankfurt's view that free will is compatible with determinism.

What are Soundness and Validity in argument evaluation?

Soundness means an argument is valid with true premises; validity means that if premises are true, the conclusion must also be true.

How is an argument defined as Valid?

An argument is valid if it's impossible for all premises to be true and the conclusion false.

What is demonstrated by the example of Socrates and mortality?

It shows that if all premises are true, the conclusion must also be true, illustrating Validity.

What structure do valid arguments share?

They can often be expressed in a form like: If p, then not q; q; therefore, not p.

What is the relation of Qualitative Similarity in Perdurantism?

It explains how different stages of an object connect through shared properties over time.

What defines Soundness in argumentation?

A sound argument is valid, and all of its premises are true.

What is the Moorean Shift?

An argument whereby Moore challenges skepticism by asserting his knowledge of his hands' existence.

What does Determinism assert about our actions?

That our actions are determined by prior causes outside our control.

What is Incompatibilism?

The belief that if determinism is true, free will cannot exist.

What is Libertarianism in the context of free will?

The belief that we have free will and our actions are not determined by prior causes.

What does Compatibilism state regarding free will?

That free will can exist even if determinism is true.

How does the debate on free will relate to moral responsibility?

Arguments for moral responsibility often depend on the existence of free will, impacting societal views on praise and punishment.

What challenge does the notion of hard determinism present?

It challenges the intuition that we have moral responsibility and control over our actions.