philosophy semest 1

analysis

a critical examination of claims in order to assess their truth

epistemology

the branch of philosophy that studies the nature of knowledge

ethics

the branch of philosophy that studies what is morally right or good

logic

analysis of arguments to determine whether they are valid

metaphysics

the branch of philosophy that studies the nature of existence

paradox

a logical contradiction

philosophy

the practice of seeking wisdom by pondering fundamental questions

speculation

a use of imagination and reason to develop new ideas

syllogism

logical argument that consists of two premises and a conclusion

anaxagoras

The ancient Greek philosopher who thought the entire universe could be explained by a force called mind acting on tiny particles of matter called seeds.

Anaximander

The ancient Greek philosopher who thought that everything in the universe came from "the boundless".

Anaximenes

The ancient Greek philosopher who thought that air is the basic substance from which everything else is made.

atomism

The idea that all matter consists of countless, unchanging, indivisible particles, or atoms.

Democritus

The ancient Greek philosopher who thought that everything, including mind and spirit, is made up of particles of matter called atoms.

Empedocles

The ancient Greek philosopher who though that the entire universe could be explained by opposing forces of love and strife acting on four basic elements: air, water, fire, and earth.

Heraclitus

Ancient Greek philosopher who thought that the underlying universal principle was fire because fire is always changing and only change is real.

Hesiod

The ancient Greek poet who recorded Greek myths in the epic poems "Theogony" and "Works and Days".

Homer

The ancient Greek poet who recorded Greek myths in the epic poems "The Iliad" and "The Odyssey".

materialism

The idea that everything is matter, or substance.

monism

The idea that all things, no matter how different they appear, are made of the same “stuff.”

myths

Traditional tale about gods and heroes.

naturalism

The idea that underlying principles in nature can explain everything in the universe.

Parmenides

The ancient Greek philosopher who thought that only knowledge gained through reason can be trusted and that change is impossible.

pluralism

The idea that everything is made out of more than one basic substance.

pre-Socratic philosophers

The earliest true philosophers, that lived before the time of the famous Greek philosopher Socrates (470 BCE), and were often from outside of ancient Greece itself.

Protagoras

The ancient Greek philosopher who was the first Sophist.

Pythagoras

The ancient Greek mathematician and philosopher who thought that everything in the universe is based on relationships between numbers.

Pythagoreanism

A school and a religious movement, which included women and avoided violence, that emphasized communal living, vegetarian diet, reading, and studying,

Rationalism

The philosophy that knowledge can be gained through the use of reason alone.

Sophists

A group of several ancient Greek philosophers who taught other people skills of argument and public speaking and who thought there are no objective truths or universal values.

Thales

The earliest known Greek philosopher, who thought that water is the basic substance from which everything else is made.

Aristotle

The classical Greek philosopher who invented logic and thought that knowledge is based on reason and starts with observations of the physical world.

classical Greece

The period of ancient Greece that lasted from 510 to 323 BC, during which Athens dominated the Greek world and became the center of culture and learning.

Deduction

The process of arriving at a conclusion based on assumptions.

golden mean

The perfect balance between two extremes.

ideal state

Plato’s idea of the perfect state, in which all citizens do the work for which they are most fit and only philosophers are kings.

Plato

The classical Greek philosopher who thought that physical objects are just temporary, imperfect copies of eternal, perfect forms.

Socrates

The classical Greek philosopher who thought that reason is the foundation of all knowledge and that all people have complete knowledge within them.

Socratic method

Socrates’ method of doing philosophy that involves asking other people questions to help them determine what they really know about a subject so they can develop better definitions and arrive correct insights.

theory of forms

Plato’s theory that all things exist in one of two separate worlds: the physical world of imperfect and temporary concrete objects; or the world of perfect and eternal forms, or ideas.

Antisthenes

The Hellenistic philosopher who founded cynicism.

cynicism

The Hellenistic philosophy that happiness depends only on virtue and that virtue rests on being self-sufficient and desiring nothing.

Diogenes

The Hellenistic philosopher who became an extreme cynic.

Epictetus

The first-century AD Roman slave and stoic philosopher.

Epicureanism

The Hellenistic philosophy that happiness depends on seeking pleasure and avoiding pain.

Epicurus

The Hellenistic philosopher who founded Epicureanism.

Hellenistic period

The period of general cultural decline in ancient Greece that lasted from the time Alexander the Great died in 323 BC until the Roman Empire took over Greece in 146 BC.

Lucretius

The first-century BC Roman Epicurean philosopher who wrote "On the Nature of Things".

Marcus Aurelius

The second-century AD Roman emperor and stoic philosopher.

Pyrrho

The Hellenistic philosopher who founded skepticism.

skepticism

The Hellenistic philosophy that happiness depends on accepting that nothing can be known for certain and not caring about the truth.

stoicism

The Hellenistic philosophy that happiness depends on resigning oneself to one’s fate.

Zeno

The Hellenistic philosopher who founded stoicism.