Religious Studies Exam Review - Famous People & Key Concepts

Flashcards covering key figures (Aristotle, Kant, Levinas, etc.) and core theological and ethical concepts from the religion exam review.

Teleological Ethics

The ethical theory, linked to Aristotle, that holds that everything in nature has a distinctive end or purpose to achieve; it focuses on the "good" that human behavior aims for, which is happiness.

The Polis

The Greek city-state, which Aristotle identified as the primary context within which citizens find happiness.

The Mean

Aristotle's concept of balance and moderation in actions, maintaining a medium between the extremes of complete abstinence and excess.

Judeo-Christian Values

The values that philosopher Charles Taylor argues for a return to, emphasizing care for the other over a long period of time.

The Face of the Other

In the philosophy of Emmanuel Levinas, this encounter reveals vulnerability and uniqueness, making a demand that calls us to responsibility and goodness.

Theoretical Reason

According to Immanuel Kant, this is how we come to know how the laws of nature and cause and effect govern human behavior.

Practical Reason

A concept from Kant that moves beyond science to the moral dimension guiding human behavior.

Categorical Imperative

Kant's moral principle: "Act according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law" and treat humanity always as an end and never as a means.

Language Games

Ludwig Wittgenstein's idea that the meaning of words depends entirely on their context and use.

95 Theses

The document posted by Martin Luther in 1517 criticizing the practice of selling indulgences, leading to the development of Lutheranism.

Gospel of Matthew

A gospel written primarily for a Greek-speaking, Jewish-Christian community in Antioch, portraying Jesus as the Messiah and the New Moses.

Superego

According to psychoanalytic theory, the part of the psyche that tells us the "shoulds" based on regulations and restrictions absorbed from those whose approval we seek.

Moral Conscience

The faculty that acts in love, responding to the call to commit ourselves to value, distinct from the ego-driven superego.

Conceptual Framework of Action

Paul Ricoeur's theory stating that one's capacity to make things happen cannot be directly observed but is experienced as a conviction or deduced from what others do.

Edict of Milan (313 CE)

The decree by Roman Emperor Constantine that ended the persecutions of Christians and linked the Church with the secular state.

The Three Senses of Conscience

Timothy O’Connell’s categorization: 1. Capacity to recognize right from wrong, 2. Process of moral reasoning, and 3. Judgment.

Contemplation

Commonly associated with Plato as the state where we are closest to locating "the good."

Abba

The Aramaic term used by Jesus for God, meaning "Father" or "Dad," indicating a close, personal relationship.

Beatitudes

Jesus' teachings during the Sermon on the Mount regarding expectations for living a happy life with values according to God.

Exegesis

The study of scripture texts in their original context, including language, historical context, and religious traditions.

Hermeneutics

The task of interpretation, specifically applying ethical messages from scripture to contemporary life.

Eros & Thanatos

Freud's life instinct (Eros) which drives survival and creativity, and the death instinct (Thanatos) which drives aggression and destruction.

Ex Cathedra

A term meaning "from the chair," used when the pope speaks explicitly as the head of the Church from the chair of St. Peter.

Predestination

The belief, notably held by John Calvin, that God eternally planned who will be saved from the beginning.

Synoptic Gospels

The gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, which include many of the same stories in a similar sequence and wording.

Parousia

The Second Coming of Jesus Christ at the end of time.

Eschatological Ethics

An ethics that reflects the kind of life expected at the end of times when Jesus establishes his kingdom of love.

Naturalism

The philosophical view that everything exists within the physical universe and that mental states are reducible to biochemical brain states.

Social Determinism

The theory that human behavior and choices are largely shaped by social forces like culture, class, and environment, limiting individual freedom.

Common Good

Social conditions that allow all people to reach their full potential, emphasizing the well-being of the whole community.

Two Feet of Social Action

A model consisting of Charitable Works (meeting immediate needs) and Social Justice (advocating for systemic change).