Glossary of Philosophical Terms

Posted on May 20, 2024 in Philosophy and ethics

A

Abstraction

An operation of extracting common properties to create a general idea.

Agnosticism

Philosophical doctrine stating that humans cannot know with certainty the existence of God.

Analysis

Rational procedure involving breaking down complex entities into simpler parts for independent understanding.

Antecedent

In a conditional statement, the left part of a proposition.

Appearance

External look of something.

Atheism

Denies the existence of God.

Atomic Proposition

In a propositional system, a letter representing a phrase that cannot be further divided without losing meaning.

Authority

The ability of individuals to influence others using orders, requiring acceptance from those following them.

B

Being

All that exists; the property of existing.

Belief

Anything accepted as truth by a person.

Biconditionality

A conditional statement where two formulae are connected if and only if they are both true or both false.

C

Categorical Term

A word or element of language with inherent meaning.

Chaos Theory

Theory stating that the universe is a dynamic system characterized by unpredictable behavior.

Coherence

The requirement for any logical system to lack contradictory propositions.

Concept

The mental representation of a thing, containing common characteristics that define its membership in a category.

Conditional

A molecular formula with an antecedent and a consequent.

Conjunction

A molecular formula where two propositions/formulae are simultaneously true.

Connective

Signs uniting atomic or non-atomic formulae to create a new structure.

Consequent

The second part of an implication.

Contingency

The possibility of something happening or not happening.

Contradiction

A statement containing a formula in conjunction with its negation.

Cosmos

The universe understood as ordered, as opposed to chaos.

Criticism

Kant’s theory of knowledge, maintaining that knowledge results from experience and reason combined.

D

Deduction

Discourse moving from general principles to specific conclusions.

Deism

Philosophical doctrine affirming God’s existence as the creator of all reality.

Dispositio

Organization of a discourse (introduction, body, conclusion).

E

Empiricism

Philosophy asserting that sensory experience is the origin and limit of knowledge.

Enlightenment

18th-century cultural movement emphasizing intellectual autonomy.

Exordium

Introductory part of a discourse.

Experiment

Scientifically controlled production of a phenomenon under specific conditions.

I

Idea

Plato: A model independent of the mind. Modern philosophers: Mental representation of a thing.

Induction

Reasoning using specific information to reach a general statement.

Intelligence

The general capacity to solve problems and understand relationships between things.

Irrational

Lacking in reason.

J

Judgement

A statement that can be true or false.

L

Logic

Branch of philosophy studying formal arguments.

M

Matter

The underlying substrate of all changes.

Mechanistic Materialism

Philosophy viewing nature as a collection of bodies governed by laws of mechanics.

Metaphysics

Area of philosophy studying the foundations of reality.

Method

A systematic, non-spontaneous way of doing things.

Molecular Statement

A statement resulting from uniting multiple atomic structures with connectives.

Monism

Philosophy asserting the existence of only one kind of substance.

N

Nature

Everything that exists.

Necessary Being

A being whose non-existence is inconceivable.

Necessity

The quality of a being whose non-existence is inconceivable.

Negation

A logic connective declaring something to be false.

Nihilism

(From “Nihil” = nothing) Attitude rejecting the value of reality.

O

Ontology

Branch of metaphysics studying being and its general properties.

Orator

A person who speaks in public.

P

Perception

Knowledge based on sensory information.

Physical Anthropology

Branch of anthropology studying humans from an evolutionary perspective.

Practical Knowledge

Knowledge oriented towards organizing actions.

Practical Philosophy

Part of philosophy reflecting on actions.

Prejudice

Preconceived opinion lacking rational basis.

Principle of Reality

The form from which everything is derived.

R

Rationalism

Philosophy emphasizing reason as a source of knowledge.

Realism

The belief that things perceived through senses exist.

Reality

All that exists.

Reason

The faculty of knowledge characteristic of humans.

S

Science

Theoretical, methodological, and rigorous knowledge.

Scientific Method

Steps comprising the research procedure in scientific contexts.

Scientific Revolution

Stage in a science’s development where a new explanatory theory is proposed.

Sensory Experience

Knowledge of the world obtained through senses.

Sensory Knowledge

Notions and ideas acquired using senses as information sources.

Sophist

Intellectuals who gave lessons in Socrates’ time (5th century).

Sublunary Sphere

The lower part of the world, composed of earth, water, air, and fire, where things appear (generation) and cease to exist (corruption).

Synthetic Theory of Evolution

Evolutionary theory incorporating genetic knowledge.

T

Time

The measure of movement (Aristotle).

Truth

The quality of a proposition uniting what is united in reality (opposite of falsehood).

U

Unconscious

That which is outside conscious awareness.

Universal Statement

A statement referring to all individuals within a category.

Universe

The sum of all physical things.

V

Verificationism

Epistemological doctrine stating that only experimentally verified statements are scientific.

W

Wisdom

A superior form of knowledge.

Tables

Table of Formal Symbols

Table of Rules of Formation of Formulae

1. Every propositional letter is a formula.
2. If “A” is a formula, then “┑A” is a formula.
3. If “A” and “B” are formulae, then “A＾B”, “AvB”, “A➝B”, “A⟷B” are formulae.

Table of Transformation of Formulae