Chapter 3 Key Terms Flashcards
What is conceptualism?
The belief that concepts have independent existence
The belief that concepts are mere names
The belief that concepts are abstractions
The belief that concepts do not have independent existence, but that, being abstractions, they are more than mere names
What is the dialectic method?
A technique used in seeking truth
A technique used in avoiding truth
A technique used in creating confusion
The technique used in seeking truth. Questions are raised, and several possible answers to those questions are explored
What is nominalism?
The belief that universals are verbal labels
The belief that universals are mental habits
The belief that universals are classes of experience
The belief that so-called universals are nothing more than verbal labels or mental habits that are used to denote classes of experience
What is Occam’s razor?
The belief that the simplest explanation is the best
The belief that the most complex explanation is the best
The belief that all explanations are equally valid
The belief that of several, equally effective alternative explanations, the one that makes the fewest assumptions should be accepted
What is the ontological argument for the existence of God?
The belief that if we can think of something, it must be real
The belief that God is a perfect being
The belief that God’s existence can be proven through empirical evidence
St. Anselm’s contention that if we can think of something, it must be real. Because we can think of a perfect being (God), that perfect being must exist
What is realism?
The belief that abstract universals exist
The belief that empirical events are manifestations of universals
The belief that abstract universals do not exist
The belief that abstract universals (essences) exist and that empirical events are only manifestations of those universals
What is scholasticism?
The synthesis of Aristotelian philosophy with Christian teachings
The rejection of Aristotelian philosophy in favor of Christian teachings
The separation of Aristotelian philosophy from Christian teachings
The synthesis of Aristotelian philosophy with Christian teachings
