#separator:tab #html:false #tags column:4 Metaphysics The study of the basic nature of reality tp-philosophy-concepts Epistemology The study of knowledge and how we know things tp-philosophy-concepts Ethics The study of right and wrong, good and bad tp-philosophy-concepts Logic The study of correct reasoning tp-philosophy-concepts Aesthetics The study of beauty and art tp-philosophy-concepts Ontology The study of what exists tp-philosophy-concepts Dualism The view that mind and body are distinct kinds of things tp-philosophy-concepts Monism The view that reality is made of one kind of thing tp-philosophy-concepts Materialism The view that everything is physical tp-philosophy-concepts Idealism The view that reality is fundamentally mental tp-philosophy-concepts Empiricism Knowledge comes mainly from sense experience tp-philosophy-concepts Rationalism Knowledge comes mainly from reason tp-philosophy-concepts Skepticism Doubt about whether we can have certain knowledge tp-philosophy-concepts A priori Knowable independent of experience tp-philosophy-concepts A posteriori Knowable only through experience tp-philosophy-concepts Analytic statement True by the meaning of its terms tp-philosophy-concepts Synthetic statement True or false depending on how the world is tp-philosophy-concepts Epistemic justification Good reasons for a belief tp-philosophy-concepts Solipsism The view that only one's own mind is certain to exist tp-philosophy-concepts Cogito 'I think, therefore I am'; Descartes' starting point tp-philosophy-concepts Free will The ability to choose among alternatives tp-philosophy-concepts Determinism Every event is caused by prior events tp-philosophy-concepts Compatibilism Free will and determinism can both be true tp-philosophy-concepts Libertarianism (free will) We have free will and determinism is false tp-philosophy-concepts Mind-body problem How mental states relate to physical states tp-philosophy-concepts Personal identity What makes someone the same person over time tp-philosophy-concepts Consciousness Subjective awareness and experience tp-philosophy-concepts Qualia The felt quality of experiences, like redness tp-philosophy-concepts Utilitarianism The right action produces the greatest good for the greatest number tp-philosophy-concepts Deontology Morality is about duties and rules, whatever the outcome tp-philosophy-concepts Virtue ethics Morality is about developing good character tp-philosophy-concepts Categorical imperative Kant's rule to act only as you would will everyone to act tp-philosophy-concepts Consequentialism An action's rightness depends on its results tp-philosophy-concepts Moral relativism Moral truths depend on culture or individual tp-philosophy-concepts Moral objectivism Some moral claims are true regardless of opinion tp-philosophy-concepts Egoism People should act in their own self-interest tp-philosophy-concepts Altruism Acting for the benefit of others tp-philosophy-concepts Social contract theory Political authority comes from an agreement among people tp-philosophy-concepts Natural rights Rights people have simply by being human tp-philosophy-concepts Justice as fairness Rawls' idea that just principles are those chosen behind a veil of ignorance tp-philosophy-concepts Veil of ignorance Choosing rules without knowing your place in society tp-philosophy-concepts Existentialism Individuals create their own meaning through free choices tp-philosophy-concepts Nihilism The view that life lacks inherent meaning or value tp-philosophy-concepts Absurdism Seeking meaning in a universe that offers none; Camus tp-philosophy-concepts Stoicism Peace comes from accepting what we cannot control tp-philosophy-concepts Epicureanism The good life is pleasure understood as calm and freedom from pain tp-philosophy-concepts Cynicism (ancient) Living simply and in accordance with nature, rejecting convention tp-philosophy-concepts Pragmatism The truth of an idea lies in its practical effects tp-philosophy-concepts Phenomenology Study of the structures of experience tp-philosophy-concepts Hermeneutics Theory of interpretation tp-philosophy-concepts Positivism Only knowledge from scientific observation is valid tp-philosophy-concepts Logical positivism Meaningful statements must be verifiable or logically true tp-philosophy-concepts Falsifiability Karl Popper's idea that scientific claims must be testable and refutable tp-philosophy-concepts Paradigm shift A major change in scientific thinking; Kuhn tp-philosophy-concepts Occam's razor Prefer the simplest explanation tp-philosophy-concepts Problem of induction We cannot logically prove that the future will resemble the past tp-philosophy-concepts Problem of evil How can evil exist if a perfect god exists? tp-philosophy-concepts Theodicy An attempt to explain evil in a world made by a good god tp-philosophy-concepts Cosmological argument Argument for a first cause of the universe tp-philosophy-concepts Teleological argument Argument from apparent design tp-philosophy-concepts Ontological argument Argument for god from the concept of a perfect being tp-philosophy-concepts Pascal's wager A practical argument about whether to believe in god tp-philosophy-concepts Agnosticism The view that the existence of god is unknown or unknowable tp-philosophy-concepts Allegory of the cave Plato's image of people mistaking shadows for reality tp-philosophy-concepts Theory of forms Plato's view that ideal abstract forms are the true reality tp-philosophy-concepts Golden mean Aristotle's idea that virtue lies between extremes tp-philosophy-concepts Eudaimonia Flourishing or living well tp-philosophy-concepts Telos Purpose or end of a thing tp-philosophy-concepts Trolley problem A thought experiment about choosing to harm one to save many tp-philosophy-concepts Thought experiment Imagined scenario used to test an idea tp-philosophy-concepts Brain in a vat Thought experiment questioning how we know our experiences are real tp-philosophy-concepts Ship of Theseus Puzzle: is a ship the same if all its parts are replaced? tp-philosophy-concepts Chinese room Searle's argument that running a program is not the same as understanding tp-philosophy-concepts Turing test A test of whether a machine's conversation is indistinguishable from a human's tp-philosophy-concepts Experience machine Nozick's thought experiment about whether pleasure is all that matters tp-philosophy-concepts Social justice Fair distribution of advantages and burdens in society tp-philosophy-concepts Distributive justice Fair allocation of resources tp-philosophy-concepts Liberty Freedom from unjust restraint tp-philosophy-concepts Harm principle Mill: society may limit freedom only to prevent harm to others tp-philosophy-concepts Paternalism Overriding someone's choices for their own good tp-philosophy-concepts Tragedy of the commons Shared resources are overused when each acts alone tp-philosophy-concepts Authority The right to command and be obeyed tp-philosophy-concepts Civil disobedience Openly breaking an unjust law to appeal to conscience tp-philosophy-concepts Anarchism The view that the state is unnecessary or harmful tp-philosophy-concepts Pluralism Acceptance of multiple values and views tp-philosophy-concepts Relativism Truth or value depends on perspective tp-philosophy-concepts Hedonism Pleasure is the highest good tp-philosophy-concepts Meritocracy Position based on ability and achievement tp-philosophy-concepts Authenticity Living true to one's own values tp-philosophy-concepts Bad faith Sartre's term for denying one's freedom tp-philosophy-concepts The Other A concept in philosophy about how we recognize those different from us tp-philosophy-concepts Intentionality The mind's property of being about something tp-philosophy-concepts Emergence Complex properties arising from simpler parts tp-philosophy-concepts Reductionism Explaining a whole by its parts tp-philosophy-concepts Holism The whole has properties not found in its parts tp-philosophy-concepts Syllogism A deductive argument with two premises and a conclusion tp-philosophy-concepts Soundness A valid argument with true premises tp-philosophy-concepts