Unit 1: Introduction to Philosophy & Human Nature Test Review

A comprehensive vocabulary review of core philosophy concepts, human nature theories, key philosophers, and foundational definitions from Unit 1.

Philosophy

The love of knowledge and wisdom, defined by wondering about basic beliefs and achieving autonomy by examining fundamental ideas.

Epistemology

The main field of philosophy dealing with questions of knowledge, truth, the nature and limits of human knowledge, and distinguishing hunches and opinions from factual truth.

Metaphysics

The study of reality that examines existence, the nature of mind and self, the existence of God, and whether human nature is free or predetermined.

Ethics

The study of values and moral principles concerned with distinguishing right from wrong and guiding human behavior, social norms, and political laws.

Atomistic Individuality

A view that treats society as a collection of individuals rather than a whole, viewing persons as self-contained, rational, self-interested, and making choices free from outside influence.

Human Nature

The defining qualities that set the human species apart from other animals, characterized notably by free will and rationality.

Utilitarianism (John Stuart Mill)

The philosophical perspective that people seek to attain higher faculties and knowledge, making them more realistic even if happiness becomes harder to achieve.

Altruism

An unselfish concern for the welfare and good of others.

Egoist

An individual who is exclusively concerned with caring for and serving oneself.

Psychological Egoism

Thomas Hobbes's theory that humans act inherently out of self-interest and are antisocially driven by a desire for power over others.

Benevolence

In Joseph Butler's view, the genuine desire to do good for others, which operates alongside self-interest.

Traditional Western View

The view that all humans share a rational nature with purpose, where reason governs personal desire, and humans are made in the image and likeness of God.

Judeo-Christian View

The belief that humans are created in God's image with a spark of the divine, striving to do what is right to love, serve, and draw closer to God.

Scientific View of Human Nature

The perspective that human behavior is explained strictly through empirical observation, research, and natural selection, asserting humans lack free will and unique purpose.

Reductionism

The idea that human nature and actions can be fully explained by simpler physical and chemical processes.

Computer View of Human Nature

The concept that the human mind operates like a computer executing programs.

Existential View

The view, associated with Jean-Paul Sartre, that humans have no fixed nature and must create their own identity through choices and actions.

Rationalist View

The perspective that the self is a conscious, rational, and spiritual entity that survives after physical death.

Id

In Sigmund Freud's model of human nature, the unconscious component of the mind driven to pursue physical desires.

Superego

In Sigmund Freud's model, the moral component that exists on a conscious level but also operates within the unconscious.

Ego

In Sigmund Freud's model, the conscious middle component that manages the balance between physical desires and moral boundaries.

Being-in-itself

In Jean-Paul Sartre's philosophy, a state of existence where knowing is its own form of being and knowledge is everything.

Bad Faith

In Jean-Paul Sartre's philosophy, the act of denying one's freedom and responsibility, thereby reducing oneself to a passive, observable object or thing.

No-Self View

The Buddhist view that an enduring individual self or soul does not exist because everything continuously changes over time.

Determinism

The theory that human actions are governed by prior conditions and causal laws, meaning humans are ultimately not free.

Socratic Method

A form of philosophical dialogue starting with a question or claim, establishing common sense definitions, testing arguments for contradictions, and arriving at a shared conclusion.

Formal Cause

In Aristotle's four causes, the form, shape, or structural design that gives an object its specific characteristics.

Material Cause

In Aristotle's four causes, the physical matter or substance out of which an object is made.

Efficient Cause

In Aristotle's four causes, the creator, force, or agent that made the object.

Final Cause

In Aristotle's four causes, the ultimate purpose, goal, or function for which an object was created.