Key Philosophical and Sociological Terms Defined
Key Philosophical and Sociological Terms
Moral
It derives from Latin (Mos moris) and refers to Customs.
Ethics
It comes from the Greek (Ethos) and refers to the mode of being.
Politics
Comes from Greek (Polis), which was the organizational form of the Greek city-states.
Arche
The establishing principle of all that exists.
Logos
Order regulating the discourse of nature. It also refers to man’s rational capacity to understand that order and reason.
Demiurge
The computer, not a creator.
Doxa
Greek word translated
Read MoreUnderstanding Reality and Knowledge: A Philosophical Inquiry
Theoretical and Practical Reason
- What is the reason?
- For the ancient Greek philosophers, theoretical reason is the ability to think.
- The purpose of theoretical reason is to understand the reality around us, to which we belong, and to understand our situation in it.
- For this, it calls for a specifically human ability, which we use to create concepts and develop our capacity for abstraction: intelligence.
This is summarized in the Greek word for excellence, THE LOGOS
Practical Ability
- It is the ability to
Renaissance Political Philosophy and the Rise of Modern Science
Renaissance Political Philosophy
Political philosophy played a crucial role in the Renaissance, a period marked by significant social and political changes. This era saw a reconsideration of fundamental issues, such as the nature and basis of political society, the scope of sovereign power, the relationship between church and state, and the concept of natural rights. Prominent figures like Machiavelli, More, and the Spanish jurists Francisco de Vitoria and Bartolomé de las Casas contributed significantly
Read MoreCitizenship: Rights, Duties, and Historical Evolution
Understanding Citizenship: Rights, Duties, and Evolution
A citizen is a person who has rights and the ability to exercise them. Politicians and citizens can possess a differentiated legal status that implies:
- Being part of a community of equals, regardless of their religion, gender, or culture.
- Participating in making decisions that affect everyone’s possibility of participation. This is only produced in democratic political systems.
- Participating in a common project of living according to an ideal
Understanding Perspectives: Embracing, Orb, and Outlook
Understanding Perspectives
Embracing: This refers to something that understands everything.
Orb: The outer limit of the world. It differs from the horizon; the world means a closed limit and conclusive, while the horizon is open and mobile.
Outlook: Point of view from which we see or understand something. The view depends on the ability and intention of the person who sees and understands. Because subjects are many and peculiar, prospects are many and varied.
Portion of truth: There is no absolute and
Read MoreSumma Theologica: Structure, Context, and Philosophy
The Summa Theologica
The Summa Theologica is the most famous work of Saint Thomas Aquinas. Although incomplete, the Summa Theologica is divided into three parts:
- The first part deals with God in itself and as a principle of all things.
- The second part deals with God as intelligence, will, man, and Christ.
- The third part deals with God made man.
Each part is divided into issues, which are further divided into articles. Each article carries a title beginning with “if,” but all articles follow the same
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