Glossary of Philosophical Terms
A
Abstraction
An operation of extracting common properties in order to create a general idea.
Agnosticism
Philosophical doctrine that states that humans do not know with certainty the existence of God (doesn’t know if God exists).
Analysis
Rational procedure that involves breaking something complex down into its simpler parts so we can know and understand them independently.
Antecedent
In a conditional, the left part of a proposition.
Appearance
External look of something.
Atheism
Denies the existence of God.
Atomic Proposition
In a propositional system, it is the letter that represents a phrase that cannot be divided further without losing its meaning.
Authority
Ability of some people to influence other people using orders. It has to be accepted by those that have to follow those orders.
B
Being
All that exists (the property of existing).
Belief
Everything accepted as truth by a person is his/her belief.
Biconditionality
Conditional in both sentences, two formulae are connected by biconditionality if they…
C
Categorematic Term
Word or element of language that has meaning by itself.
Chaos Theory
Theory that declares that the universe is a dynamic system.
Coherence
The demand of any logical system that doesn’t contain contradictory propositions.
Concept
The mental representation of a thing. It contains the common characteristics of these things that make this thing part of a “community”.
Conditional
A kind of molecular formula in which there is an antecedent and a consequent follows.
Conjunction
A molecular formula in which two propositions/formulae are simultaneously true.
Connective
Any of the signs that unite atomic or non-atomic formulae, creating a new structure.
Consequent
The second part of an implication.
Contingency
The possibility of something happening or not happening.
Contradiction
A statement that includes a formula in conjunction with its own negation.
Cosmos
The universe understood as something ordered (as opposed to chaos).
Criticism
Theory of knowledge of Kant (maintains that knowledge is the combined result of experience and reason).
D
Deduction
Kind of discourse that comes from the general to the particular.
Deism
Philosophical doctrine that affirms the existence of God, conceived as the creator of all that is real.
Dispositio
Organization of a discourse (introduction, body, conclusion).
E
Empiricism
Kind of philosophy that declares that sensorial experience is the origin and limit of our knowledge.
Enlightenment
Cultural movement of the 18th century that tried to achieve intellectual autonomy for humans.
Exordio
Introductory part of a discourse.
Experiment
Scientifically controlled production of a phenomenon that takes place under specific conditions.
I
Idea
Plato: a model independent of the mind. Modern philosophers: mental representation of a thing.
Induction
Reasoning that uses specific information as a starting point in order to reach a general statement.
Intelligence
The general capacity of solving problems and understanding the relation between things.
Irrational
Lacking in reason.
J
Judgement
Statement that can be true or false.
L
Logic
Branch of philosophy that studies formal arguments.
M
Matter
The underlying substrate of all changes.
Mechanistic Materialism
A philosophy for which all of nature is a collection of bodies subject to the laws of mechanics.
Metaphysics
Area of philosophy that studies the foundations of reality.
Method
A systematic way of doing things (not spontaneous).
Molecular Statement
A statement which is the result of uniting more than one atomic structure with connectives.
Monism
Any philosophy that declares that there is only one kind of substance.
N
Nature
Everything that exists.
Necessary Being
A being that cannot be conceived not to exist.
Necessity
The quality of any being that cannot be conceived not to exist.
Negation
A logic connective that declares everything to be false.
Nihilism
(From “Nihil”=nothing) attitude of rejection of the value of reality.
O
Ontology
Branch of metaphysics that studies being and its more general properties.
Orator
The person who speaks in public.
P
Perception
Kind of knowledge based on sensorial information.
Physical Anthropology
Branch of anthropology that studies humans from an evolutionary point of view.
Practical Knowledge
Kind of knowledge oriented towards organizing our actions.
Practical Philosophy
Part of philosophy that reflects on actions.
Prejudice
Preconceived opinion without a rational basis.
Principle of Reality
That form from which everything is derived.
R
Rationalism
Kind of philosophy that gives great importance to reason as a source of knowledge.
Realism
The belief that the things we perceive by our sensory system exist.
Reality
All that exists.
Reason
Faculty of knowledge typical of humans.
S
Science
Theoretical, methodological, and rigorous knowledge.
Scientific Method
Series of steps that makes up the research procedure used in scientific contexts.
Scientific Revolution
Stage of development of a science in which a new explanatory theory is proposed.
Sensory Experience
Knowledge of the world gained/obtained through our senses.
Sensory Knowledge
Set of notions and ideas achieved using our senses as a source of information.
Sophist
The group of intellectuals that gave lessons in Socrates’ times (5th century).
Sublunary Sphere
Lower part of the world, made of earth, water, air, and fire, in which things appear (generation) and cease to exist (corruption).
Synthetic Theory of Evolution
Theory of evolution that incorporates knowledge of genetics.
T
Time
The measure of movement (Aristotle).
Truth
The quality of a proposition of uniting what in reality is united (the antonym of this is falsehood).
U
Unconscious
That which is outside the realm of the conscious.
Universal Statement
Statement that refers to all individuals.
Universe
Sum of all physical things.
V
Verificationism
Epistemological doctrine that states that only statements which have been verified through a process of experimentation can be considered to be scientific statements.
W
Wisdom
: superior form of knowledge