Nature of Scientific & Philosophical History

Flashcards covering key concepts related to the nature of scientific and philosophical history, including major thinkers, theories, and methodologies.

Creditism

The tendency to attribute breakthroughs to well-known figures while overlooking lesser-known contributors.

Historicism

Interpreting past theories through the lens of their own time, not by present-day standards.

Socratic Method

A form of cooperative argumentative dialogue that stimulates critical thinking, where questioning is used as a basis for knowledge.

Cave Allegory

Plato's metaphor illustrating the difference between the world of appearances and the reality of ideal forms.

Animism

The belief that natural phenomena are driven by spirits with human-like intentions.

Deductive Reasoning

A logical process where the conclusion follows necessarily from the premises if they are true.

Inductive Reasoning

A method of reasoning that involves generalizing from specific observations to form broader generalizations.

Ideal Forms

Perfect, immutable templates that physical objects approximate according to Plato's theory.

Empiricism

The theory that knowledge arises from sensory experiences and evidence.

Rationalism

The philosophical belief that reason is the primary source of knowledge.