Introduction to Philosophy - Midterm Study Guide (Spring 2025)

Flashcards covering key philosophical concepts.

Plato

Believed in a separate realm of ideal Forms, perfect and unchanging, existing independently of the physical world.

Aristotle

Emphasized that forms exist within things themselves and that knowledge begins with empirical observation; rejected Plato's separate realm of Forms.

Law of Identity

A = A; each thing is identical to itself

Law of Non-Contradiction

A != A; contradictory propositions cannot both be true at the same time and in the same sense

Law of the Excluded Middle

Either A or A; for any proposition, either that proposition is true or its negation is true, with no middle ground.

Hobbes

Described humans as naturally violent and selfish, advocating a strong central authority.

Marx

Described humans as shaped by economic conditions and class struggle, prescribing a revolution toward a classless society.

Knowledge Formula

Knowledge + Justified True Belief; It must be true, believed, and supported by evidence or reasoning

Worldview

A set of beliefs through which one interprets all of reality. The operative words are 'set' (organized framework) and 'interprets' (filters understanding of reality).

Existentialism - Principle 1

Existence precedes essence.

Existentialism - Principle 2

Freedom and responsibility.

Existentialism - Principle 3

Anguish.

Existentialism - Principle 4

Absurdity.

Existentialism - Principle 5

Authenticity.

The Crisis of the Crito

Urges Socrates to escape his death sentence, but Socrates refuses, believing it is unjust to break the laws of the city.

Substance Dualism

Holds that mind and body are separate substances.

Property Dualism

Argues there is one substance (physical) with both physical and mental properties.

Kalam Cosmological Argument

Whatever begins to exist has a cause; the universe began to exist; therefore, the universe has a cause.

Three Necessary Pieces of a Logically Viable Worldview

must be coherent , correspond to observable reality, and be pragmatic

Three Uses of Knowledge

Descriptive, Relational, and Experiential