Introduction to Philosophy Flashcards
What is Philosophy?
The love of wisdom
Knowledge creation
The field of values
What is a descriptive claim?
A descriptive claim describes reality
What field relies only on descriptive claims
Science can only speak of descriptive claims
Philosophy deals with judgments and _________
Values
Define Normative. What is a Normative Statement?
Normative - deriving a standard
Normative statements speak of what should be
What is an Intrinsic Value? How does it differ from Instrumental Value?
Intrinsic Values are values that are done for themselves. They are good for themselves. Ex: Just action
Instrumental values have value for what they bring. Ex: Money
Something can have both values
The Concepts of Speculative philosophy belongs to only spiritual experience.
Concepts of Speculative philosophy belong to all experience
Who said the unexamined life is not worth living? What was meant by this?
Plato.
Believed that the most important thing in life was to find purpose and value. This is not possible without self-examination.
Name the 4 parts of philosophy with brief explanations
Logic - Basis of belief
Epistemology - Study of knowledge
Metaphysics - Study of reality
Axiology - Study of value
What must arguments share to be possible and why?
Shared premises.
Without shared premises arguers would negate the premises infinitely leading nowhere.
Define a deductive argument. Give an example
Deductive arguments - Claim must be true if premises are true
if plants grow on trees
and trees are plants
then leaves are plants
List the components of an inductive argument
Inductive arguments
- try and increase certainty
- cannot be known
- can be built upon but never solved
- realm of science; belief that the sun will rise again because it always has risen
Why is an explanation different from an argument
An explanation is a claim that is not argued
What is inference to the best explanation
Determining the best explanation from the information available.
(comparing explanations)
