Philosophical and Psychological Perspectives on the Self (Vocabulary Flashcards)

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms, figures, and concepts from the lecture notes.

Philosophy

Study of fundamental questions about life, knowledge, and existence.

Philosopher

A person who studies or practices philosophy.

Rationalism

Belief that reason is the main source of knowledge.

Empiricism

Belief that knowledge comes from sensory experience.

Idealism

Belief that reality is mentally constructed or immaterial.

Existentialism

Focus on individual freedom, choice, and meaning in life.

Socratic Era

Period centered around Socrates' teachings.

Medieval era

Era when philosophy was closely linked to religion and theology.

Transcendental

Beyond physical experience; often related to deeper truths.

Form and Matter

Aristotle’s concept: form is structure, matter is substance.

Socrates

Father of Western philosophy; asserted that the unexamined life is not worth living.

Unexamined life

Socrates’ claim that a life without self-knowledge is not worth living.

Know Thyself

Socratic idea that self-understanding is essential for a meaningful life.

Socratic Method

Learning through asking and answering questions to stimulate critical thinking.

The Apology 38a

Socrates’ defense; emphasizes self-knowledge as the greatest good.

Plato

Student of Socrates; developed Theory of Form and Matter; founded the Academy.

Theory of Form and Matter

Idea that reality consists of form (structure) and matter (substance).

Form

The shape or structure that makes something what it is.

Matter

The substance or material of which something is made.

Parts of the Soul: Rational

The thinking part of the soul; seeks truth and makes wise decisions.

Parts of the Soul: Spirit (Will)

The emotional part; gives courage and pushes to do what’s right.

Parts of the Soul: Appetite (Desire)

The part that wants food, pleasure, and comfort.

Aristotle

Ancient Greek philosopher; developed logic; soul as form of the body.

Nutritive Soul

Plants; growth and reproduction.

Sensitive Soul

Animals; senses and movement.

Rational Soul

Humans; thinking and reasoning.

Eudaimonia

Flourishing or living well; virtue-based happiness.

The Good Life

Living a life of virtue and reason; fulfilling human purpose.

Virtue

Moral excellence; good habit shaping character.

Virtue and Development

Mraising virtue as a character quality developed through practice.

Augustine

Christian philosopher; wrote Confession; explored will and grace.

Confession

Augustine’s work on inner reflection, memory, and will.

Free Will

The ability to choose between good and bad actions.

Esse Purum

Pure Essence; concept linked to Augustine’s theology.

Memoria

Soul’s ability to recall knowledge and past experiences.

Intellectus

Rational part; intellect and understanding of truth.

Voluntas

Will; the part that chooses and acts.

St. Thomas Aquinas

Scholastic theologian who integrated Aristotle with Christian theology.

Summa Contra Gentiles

Work defending Catholic faith against non-believers.

Summa Theologica

Comprehensive work outlining Christian theology.

René Descartes

Father of modern philosophy; introduced methodic doubt and Cartesian dualism.

Cogito, ergo sum

I think, therefore I am; existence proven through thinking.

Methodic Doubt

Systematic doubt to reach certain knowledge.

Dualism

Mind and body are distinct, separable substances.

Epistemology

Study of knowledge and how we know what we know.

Hume

Proposed Bundle Theory: the self is a collection of perceptions.

Bundle Theory

The self is a collection of changing perceptions with no core, enduring self.

Impressions

Vivid, immediate experiences.

Ideas

Faint copies of impressions stored in the mind.

Tabula Rasa

Blank slate at birth; no innate ideas (Locke).

Locke

Empiricist who argued knowledge comes from experience; self through memory.

Kant

Philosopher who synthesized rationalism and empiricism; proposed transcendental self.

Transcendental Self

Unity of external (empirical) and internal (rational) selves.

External Self

Sensory experiences; the outward, observable aspect.

Internal Self

Mind’s processing of experiences; rational organization.

Post-modern existentialism

Philosophical movement focused on individual meaning and authentic existence.

Jean-Paul Sartre

Key existentialist who emphasized freedom and responsibility.

Albert Camus

Existentialist known for themes of meaning and absurdity.

Maurice Merleau-Ponty

Philosopher of embodied subjectivity; body central to perception.

Gabriel Marcel

Existentialist who proposed primary and secondary reflection.

Emmanuel Levinas

Ethical philosopher who emphasized responsibility to the Other.

Embodied Subjectivity

Knowledge and self understood through lived bodily experience.

Primary Reflection

Initial, detached, logical analysis of events.

Secondary Reflection

Healing, meaning-making, ethical self-development after reflection.

Face of the Other

Levinas’ idea that encountering the Other grounds ethical responsibility.

Sartre

Existentialist emphasizing that existence precedes essence and personal responsibility.

Camus

Existentialist thinker known for exploring absurdity and meaning-making.

Merleau-Ponty

Philosopher highlighting embodied perception and subjectivity.

Gabriel Marcel

Christian existentialist who introduced primary/secondary reflection.

Emmanuel Levinas

Philosopher focusing on ethics of face-to-face encounter with the Other.

Sensorimotor stage

First stage of Piaget’s cognitive development; object permanence develops.

Preoperational

Second Piaget stage; symbolic thought, egocentrism, limited conservation.

Concrete Operational

Third Piaget stage; logical thinking about concrete events; conservation understood.

Formal Operational

Final Piaget stage; abstract reasoning and planning.

I-self

William James’ concept of the Knowing Self; the observing subject.

Me-self

William James’ concept of the Known Self; the self as object.

Material Self

Part of the Me-self; what we own and physically are.

Social Self

Part of the Me-self; self-presentation in social contexts.

Spiritual Self

Inner values, beliefs, and conscience; stable core.

Freud

Pioneer of psychoanalysis; identified conscious, subconscious, and unconscious mind.

Oral stage

Birth–18 months; focus on mouth; fixation may lead to dependency.

Anal stage

18 months–3 years; focus on anus; fixation can yield anal-retentive or anal-expulsive traits.

Phallic stage

3–6 years; focus on genitals; Oedipus/Electra complexes; possible vanity or flirtatiousness.

Latent stage

6–11 years; sexual energy dormant; focus on social and intellectual skills.

Genital stage

Puberty onward; mature sexual relationships; healthy personality development.

Mature character

Well-rounded, mature personality resulting from healthy development.