GPS Midterm

Abel

Adam and Eve’s son in Genesis; a shepherd whose offering was favored over Cain's, leading to Cain's jealousy and Abel's tragic death.

argumentative

Using claims, reasons, and evidence to support a position or challenge another view or opinion in a discussion or debate.

Autonomy

For Kant, rational self-government; giving yourself and obeying moral laws that reason can justify for everyone.

Categorical Imperative

Tests whether your maxim could be a universal law; also treats persons as ends in themselves, never merely as tools.

Consequentialism

The family of ethical theories in which an action’s moral rightness depends on its consequences.

Cosmopolitanism Ideal

The ideal that we have responsibilities to people beyond our own community

Creon

The ruler of Thebes. Forbids the burial of Polyneices and punishes Antigone

Daodejing

The Classic of the Way and Virtue. Foundational Daoist text emphasizing the Dao, simplicity, yielding, and wuwei.

Deer Enclosure

A short landscape poem by Wang Wei

Deontology

Duty-based ethics; moral obligations and constraints determine what is right, rather than outcomes alone

Dignity

The worth of rational moral beings, which cannot be replaced by a price or traded away for convenience

Dingzhou

A site in Hebei, China, where a Han tomb yielded an early bamboo manuscript of the Analects

Enkidu

Gilgamesh’s companion, originally a wild man living with animals. Shamhat helps introduce him to human society.

Fallibilism

The view that our beliefs or knowledge can be mistaken and should be open to revision

Garden of Eden

The garden in Genesis where God places Adam and Eve.

Genesis

The first book of the Hebrew Bible. It contains creation, Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, the Flood

Gilgamesh

The king of Uruk and central hero of the Mesopotamian epic

Golden Rule

Do not impose on others what you would not want yourself; impose on others what you would want yourself

Guodian

A tomb site near Jingmen, Hubei, containing bamboo manuscripts, including passages parallel to Laozi and early Confucian writings

Guqin

A Chinese seven-string plucked zither

Hemudu

A Neolithic site and culture in Zhejiang near the lower Yangtze region, famous for early rice agriculture and wooden structures

Hou Ji

A legendary agriculture figure and ancestor of the Zhou, associated with teaching grain cultivation

Humanity

the rational capacity to set ends and act on reasons, which must be respected; benevolence and humane concern for others

Huwawa

the powerful guardian of the Cedar Forest whom Gilgamesh and Enkidu kill

Incommensurability

The absence of a single common measure that can fully rank or translate different values

Integrity

Coherence between your considered commitments; acting faithfully to principles

Intersubjectivity

Meaning, understanding, or norms shared or formed between people through social interaction

Ismene

Antigone’s sister. Initially refuses to help bury Polyneices because she fears authority but later tries to share Antigone’s blame

King James Bible

An English Bible translation commissioned under King James I

Kongzi

Confucious; emphasizes ethical cultivation learning, humane relationships, ritual, and exemplary government

Kwame Anthony Appiah

A philosopher associated with cosmopolitanism

Laozi

The Old Master, traditionally associated with the Daodejing and early Daoism

legal norms

rules that a legal system recognizes and enforces

Lunyu

the Analects; a collection of sayings and dialogue associated with Kongzi and his followers

Mawangdui

A Han tomb site in Changsha, Hunan, containing early silk manuscripts of the Laozi

Mengzi

Mencius, a major Confucian thinker; teaches that human nature is good and people possess beginnings of moral virtues that require cultivation

Music (le)

Educates emotions and helps create personal and social harmony, alongside ritual

normative claims

Statements about what ought to be done, valued, or considered right

Nuwa

A goddess of Chinese mythology associated with creating humans and repairing the sky

Rational nature

the capacity to reason, choose ends, and act according to principles. It demands to treat people as ends in themselves

Reciprocity

Responding to others through mutual consideration

Ritual

Li; patterned practices of respect, including ceremonies, mourning, manners, and appropriate conduct in relationships. Shapes character and social order

Royal House of Thebes

The ruling family in the Theban myth cycle

Sanxingdui

The Bronze Age site near Chengdu in Sichuan, associated with ancient Shu culture. Famous for striking bronze heads, masks, and ritual objects

Shamhat

The woman who encounters Enkidu and helps introduce him to human life

Shanhaijing

The Classic of Mountains and Seas; a layered early Chinese collection describing landscapes, peoples, animals, gods, resources, and unusual beings.

State of Lu

An ancient state in what is now Shandong, China; Kongzi’s home state

The Way

Dao; a way, path, or guiding order

Universality

moral law that is valid for every rational agent

Universalizability

The test of whether the maxim behind your action could consistently be willed as a law of everyone

Utilitarianism

A form of consequentialism that judges actions or policies by how much overall well-being they produce for everyone affected, counting each person’s interests impartially