Final Exam Simple Terms - Philosophy

Descartes’ big goal in Meditation 1?

Get rid of every belief that could be wrong.
He imagines (1) everything is a dream and (2) an evil demon is tricking him.

The one thing Descartes can’t doubt?

“I think, therefore I am.”
Even if a demon tricks him, the very fact he’s thinking proves he exists.

Locke’s persistence rule?

Same consciousness = same person.
Memory links yesterday’s “you” to today’s “you.”

Locke’s prince vs. cobbler?

Person = consciousness; man = body.
If the prince’s memories wake up in the cobbler’s body, the person is the prince, the body is still the cobbler.

Hume’s self in one line?

A flickering bundle of feelings and thoughts—no fixed “I.”
Because every feeling fades, there’s nothing permanent to call “me.”

Three mind tricks Hume lists?

1. Smooth changes – we see one ship even as planks are replaced.

2. Same purpose – we call one engine even after repairs.

3. Gradual shifts – a sapling and full-grown tree feel like the same oak.

Two kinds of existentialists? (Sartre)

Christian = God exists, we still create meaning.
Atheistic = no God, we must create meaning.

Sartre’s three buzzwords?

Anguish – choosing is scary because you’re totally free.
Abandonment – no divine rulebook.
Despair – trust only what you can control

De Beauvoir: “Woman is the Other”?

Other = not the default (men are the default).
Society treats man as “normal,” woman as the variation—like a left-handed desk in a right-handed classroom.

Three quick problems women face?

1. Paid less for same work.

2. Expected to do most house/child care.

3. Told to be “nice” instead of leaders.

Buber: I-It vs. I-Thou?

I-It = using someone (cashier scans items).
I-Thou = real meeting (you and a friend truly listening).