Philosophy isn’t easy. Beginning with logic and continuing in more depth includes the use of a lot of new words, or different and more precise uses of words we might already know. I have compiled Philosophy Words and Terms Defined.
Philosophy Words and Terms Defined
- Absolute defined: Something that is completely true or correct, without any exceptions.
- Absolutism: the belief that there are absolute truths and moral principles that apply at all times and in all situations.
- Abstract defined: A concept or idea that is not concrete or physical.
- Acquaintance: knowing someone or something by sight or from a brief meeting.
- Adequate: enough for a particular purpose or need.
- Aggression: acting in a hostile or violent way.
- Altruism: the belief in and practice of helping others without expecting anything in return.
- Altruistic: concerned with or seeking the welfare of others.
- Ambition: a strong desire to achieve something.
- Anti-Subjectivism defined:
- Argument defined: A reason or set of reasons given to support or prove something.
- Atom defined: The smallest unit of matter that still has all the properties of an element.
- Autonomy: the ability to make one’s own decisions and control one’s own actions.
- Belief defined: Something that someone thinks is true, even if they don’t have proof.
- Benevolence: an act of kindness or generosity.
- Benevolence: the disposition to do good.
- Benevolent: wishing well or showing kindness to others.
- Binary opposition: the idea that two concepts or things are mutually exclusive and cannot exist together.
- Bivalent logic: a type of logic that only allows for two truth-values, true or false
- Capitalism defined: A humanitarian economic and moral ideology in which property ownership and means of production are individually owned.
- Caring: feeling concern or interest for something or someone.
- Cause defined: The reason why something happens.
- Certainty defined: Knowing something is true without any doubt.
- Character defined: The personality or set of qualities that makes someone who they are.
- Character: the moral or ethical qualities of a person.
- Choice defined: Deciding between two or more options.
- Citizen defined: A member of a community or country.
- Civil defined: Having to do with the laws and government of a society.
- Civil rights defined: The rights and freedoms that all people should have, regardless of who they are.
- Compassion: feeling concern or empathy for others.
- Concept defined: An idea or notion.
- Conscience: an inner sense of what is right or wrong.
- Consciousness defined: Being aware of oneself and the world around you.
- Consciousness: the state of being aware of and able to think and perceive.
- Consequence defined: The result or outcome of an action or decision.
- Consequentialism: the belief that the morality of an action should be based on its consequences.
- Constitution defined: The set of laws and principles that govern a country or organization.
- Contract defined: An agreement between two or more parties.
- Contradiction: a statement that cannot be true and false at the same time
- Courage defined: Being brave and not giving up in the face of fear or danger.
- Courage: the ability to face fear, danger, or pain.
- Crime defined: An act that is against the law.
- Culture defined: The beliefs, customs, and way of life of a group of people.
- Cynicism defined: A belief that people are only motivated by self-interest.
- Decency: conforming to a standard of what is morally right or honorable.
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- Democracy defined: Also called, “Mob Rule” it is type of government where those in power set up a system in which a limited number of choices are offered to the masses, and after selected one of the offered solutions, the masses are persuaded that they freely chose the result.
- Deontology: the belief that the morality of an action should be based on a moral rule or duty.
- Dependence defined: Being reliant on someone or something for support.
- Determinism defined: The belief that everything that happens is caused by something else.
- Dialectic defined: A method of critical thinking and debate.
- Dialetheism: the belief that some statements can be both true and false
- Dialetheism: the belief that some statements can be both true and false at the same time.
- Difference defined: Being not the same as something else.
- Dignity defined: The quality of being worthy of respect.
- Duty defined: Something that someone is required to do.
- Duty: an action that is morally or legally required.
- Egoism: the belief that people should act in their own self-interest.
- Either/or: the idea that a choice must be made between two options and that only one can be chosen.
- Emotion defined: A feeling or mental state.
- Empathy defined: Being able to understand and share the feelings of others.
- Empathy: the ability to understand and share the feelings of others.
- Enlightenment defined: A state of understanding or knowledge.
- Equality defined: The concept of things being the same. No two things in the world are completely the same if examined at a microscopic level. This word has become a fallacy when used in a post-modern marxist manner.
- Equality defined: Treating everyone the same, regardless of who they are.
- Ethical: concerning moral principles or rules of behavior, having to do with right and wrong behavior.
- Ethics defined: The study of what is right and wrong.
- Evidence defined: Proof or information that supports a claim.
- Evolution defined: The process by which different species change over time.
- Ex contradictione quodlibet: a rule in logic that states from a contradiction, any statement can be derived
- Excluded middle: the idea that a statement must be either true or false and there is no middle ground.
- Excluded middle: the principle that a statement must be either true or false, with no middle ground
- Experience defined: The knowledge or understanding that comes from doing something.
- Fairness: impartiality and honesty.
- Fairness: treating others justly and equitably.
- Faith defined: Believing in something without proof.
- False dilemma: the idea that only two options exist when in fact there are more.
- Falsum: a statement that is false
- Fate defined: The idea that everything is predetermined.
- Feelz defined:
- Forgiveness: the act of pardoning an offender.
- Freedom defined: The ability to make choices without being constrained.
- Friendship defined: A close relationship between two or more people.
- Generosity: the quality of being kind and giving.
- Good defined: That which is morally right or desirable.
- Good: something that is morally right or desirable.
- Government defined: The organization that makes and enforces laws in a society.
- Gracious: polite and kind.
- Habit defined: A behavior that is repeated often and becomes automatic.
- Happiness defined: A state of being content or satisfied.
- Harmony defined: A state of balance or agreement.
- Heaven defined: A mythical place that is believed to be the home of the Judæo Christian God.
- Hell defined: A place that is believed to be the home of punishment after death.
- Honesty: truthful and fair.
- Human nature defined: The innate characteristics that make people who they are.
- Identity defined: The qualities that make a person who they are.
- Illusion defined: Something that appears to be true, but is not real.
- Imagination defined: The ability to create mental images or ideas.
- Immortality defined: Living forever.
- Independence defined: Being able to do things on your own.
- Individual defined: A single person or thing.
- Injustice defined: Treating someone unfairly.
- Insight defined: A deep understanding or realization.
- Integrity defined: Being honest and having strong moral principles.
- Integrity: being honest and having strong moral principles.
- Intelligence defined: The ability to learn, understand, and think critically.
- Intention defined: A plan or purpose.
- Intuitionistic logic: a type of logic that emphasizes the constructivist approach to the principles of reasoning, it allows for the concept of propositions being neither true nor false but undetermined.
- Justice defined: Treating everyone fairly and according to the law.
- Justice: treating everyone fairly and according to the law.
- Kantianism: a moral philosophy developed by Immanuel Kant, which holds that the morality of an action should be based on the principle of universality.
- Knowledge defined: Understanding or information about something.
- Law defined:
- Law of identity: the principle that something is the same as itself
- Law of non-contradiction: the idea that something cannot be both true and false at the same time.
- Law of non-contradiction: the principle that something cannot be both true and false at the same time
- Logic defined: The study of reasoning and thinking.
- Logic: the study of reasoning and thinking in a clear and consistent manner.
- Logical absoluteness: the belief that some logical principles are universally and necessarily true
- Logical constructivism: the belief that some concepts or knowledge can only be formed by a process of constructive reasoning
- Logical positivism: a philosophy that holds that only statements that can be verified through empirical observation or logical proofs are meaningful
- Love defined: A strong feeling of affection towards someone.
- Meaning defined: The purpose or significance of something.
- Meditation defined: A practice of focusing the mind for a period of time.
- Metaphysics defined: The branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of reality.
- Middle ground: a compromise or position that falls between two extremes.
- Mind defined: The part of the body that is responsible for thinking, feeling, and perception.
- Modal logic: a type of logic that deals with the concept of possibility and necessity
- Morality defined: The principles of what is right and wrong.
- Morality: the principles of what is right and wrong.
- Motive defined: The reason behind an action or decision.
- Nature defined: The physical world and all living things in it.
- Necessity defined: Something that is required or absolutely necessary.
- Negation: the opposite or denial of a statement or proposition
- Norms: rules or expectations for behavior within a society.
- Objective defined: A goal or aim.
- Observation defined: The act of watching or noticing something.
- Opinion defined: A belief or viewpoint about something.
- Order defined: A state of organization or arrangement.
- Ownership defined:
- Paraconsistent Logic: a type of logic that allows for the coexistence of contradictory statements, and it is used in some areas of mathematics and philosophy.
- Paradigm defined: A model or framework for understanding something.
- Paradox: a statement that contradicts itself
- Perception defined: The way we interpret and understand the world around us.
- Perfection defined: The state of being without flaws or errors.
- Perspective defined: The way someone sees or understands something.
- Philosophy defined: The study of knowledge, reality, and existence.
- Physics defined: The branch of science that deals with the nature of matter and energy.
- Politics defined: The study of how societies are governed.
- Potential defined: The possibility of something happening or being achieved.
- Power defined: The ability to control or influence others.
- Practice defined: Repeatedly doing something to improve or become skilled at it.
- Pragmatism defined: The belief that the usefulness or practicality of an idea is more important than its theoretical correctness.
- Prejudice defined: Having an unfair bias against someone or something.
- Principle defined: A fundamental belief or rule that guides behavior.
- Principle of bivalence: the belief that all statements must be either true or false
- Principle of bivalence: the idea that all statements must be either true or false.
- Principle of excluded middle: the belief that for any statement, it must be either true or false
- Principle: a fundamental belief or rule that guides behavior.
- Progress defined: Improvement or advancement.
- Property defined: Something that belongs to someone.
- Proportion defined: The relationship of one part to another or to the whole.
- Propositions: statements that can be either true or false.
- Proven defined: Confirmed or shown to be true.
- Purpose defined: The reason or intention behind something.
- Rational defined: able to think and make decisions using reason.
- Reality defined: The state of things as they actually exist.
- Reason defined: The ability to think and make logical conclusions.
- Reasoning: the process of thinking through and making logical conclusions.
- Redemption defined: The act of making up for a wrong or mistake.
- Reductionism: the belief that complex things can be explained by breaking them down into simpler parts.
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- REELS defined: A system of thinking and argument based on a the acronym for Reason, Empirical Evidence, Logic, Scientific method.
- Reflect defined: To think about something carefully.
- Reform defined: Improving or changing something.
- Relationship defined: The connection or association between two or more things.
- Relativism defined: the belief that truth and morality are relative to the individual or culture.
- Religion defined: A belief in a higher power or set of spiritual practices.
- Representation defined: the act of standing in for or speaking on behalf of something or someone else.
- Responsibility defined: Being accountable for one’s actions and decisions.
- Right: something that is morally correct or just.
- Rights defined: things that do not actually exist, but were once thought to be justly or morally due to a person or group.
- Scepticism defined: the attitude of doubt or questioning of accepted beliefs.
- Self defined: the sense of one’s own identity.
- Self-interest defined: the belief that people act in their own best interest.
- Self-interest: the belief that people act in their own best interest.
- Self-knowledge defined: the understanding of one’s own thoughts, feelings, and beliefs.
- Skepticism defined: the attitude of doubt or questioning of accepted beliefs.
- Social contract defined: an agreement among members of a society to give up some individual freedom in exchange for protection and security provided by the government.
- Soul defined: the non-physical part of a person that is believed to exist after death.
- Space defined: the area or distance around, between, and within objects.
- Spirit defined: the non-physical part of a person that is believed to exist after death.
- State defined: the organization that makes and enforces laws in a society.
- Subjectivity defined: the belief that knowledge and truth are based on individual perception.
- Substance defined: the basic material or essence of something.
- Symbol defined: something that represents or stands for something else.
- Sympathy defined: the ability to understand and share the feelings of others.
- System defined: a group of things working together as a whole.
- Taste defined: the sense of what is pleasurable or enjoyable.
- Tautology: a statement that is always true by definition.
- Tautology: a statement that is always true by definition.
- Taxation defined: A form of extortion that governments codify as being legal and an exception to the moral rule of not initiating violence against another person’s property.
- Teleology defined: the belief that everything has a purpose or goal.
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- Theology defined: the study of the nature of gods and religions.
- Three-valued logic: a type of logic that allows for more than two truth-values such as true, false, and undefined.
- Time defined: the progression of events and the duration of those events.
- Trivalent Logic: a type of logic that allows for more than two truth-values.
- Trivialism: the belief that all statements are true or that there is no distinction between truth and falsehood
- Truth defined: the state of being in agreement with fact or reality.
- Truth-value: the property of a statement being either true or false.
- Truth: the state of being in agreement with fact or reality.
- Unity defined: the state of being united or joined together.
- Universe defined: all of space and time and everything in it.
- Utilitarianism: the belief that the morality of an action should be based on its overall usefulness or benefit to society.
- Utility defined: the usefulness or practicality of something.
- Validity: the logical soundness of an argument or conclusion.
- Value defined: the worth or usefulness of something.
- Value: the worth or usefulness of something.
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- Values defined: Things subjectively chosen by individuals that each person finds to be of little or much worth and quality.
- Verification: the process of determining the truth or validity of a statement.
- Verificationism: the belief that the meaning of a statement is determined by the method of its verification or proof.
- Virtue defined: the quality of being morally good or right.
- Virtue: the quality of being morally good or right.
- Will defined: the ability to make decisions and control one’s actions.
- Wisdom defined: the ability to make good decisions and understand the world around you.
- Wonder defined: the feeling of being amazed or curious about something.
- World defined: the entirety of everything that exists.
- Worship defined: the act of showing reverence or devotion to a higher power.
- Wrong: something that is morally incorrect or unjust.
- Xenophobia defined: the fear or hatred of strangers or foreigners.
- Yearning defined: a strong desire or longing for something.
- Yoga defined: a practice of physical and mental exercises to achieve spiritual balance and inner peace.
- Zen defined: a school of Buddhism that emphasizes meditation and the attainment of spiritual understanding.
- Zero defined: the absence of any quantity or value.