Key Words Flashcards
What is Epistemology?
The study of nature, structure and interaction of knowledge.
What is a proposition?
A statement which someone believes to be true and puts forward for others to consider. I.E “God exists”
What is Rationalism?
Knowledge comes from reason without reference to the external world, that truth is what is known.
What is Empiricism?
Knowledge is gained through experiences and experiments, you can only prove what you can experience in the external world.
What is an argument?
In philosophical terms, an argument has a conclusion supported by reason to convince others that these conclusions are true.
What is Induction?
A method of reasoning where a conclusion is reached by linking observations of cause(s) and effect(s) to draw a conclusion.
What is deduction?
A method of reasoning where a conclusion is reached by logical stages.
What is the difference between inductive and deductive reasoning?
Inductive reasoning is taken from our experiences (if something happens a lot, then we can conclude that they are probably always or usually happening).
Deductive reasoning is when logic is used to draw a conclusion.
Give an example of what an inductive argument will look like.
1) all cats i have seen have fur.
2) Tomorrow i go to Canada.
3) Therefore all cats i see in Canada will have fur.
- This is incorrect there is a species of hairless cats in Canada, although this logic is likely to be true.
Give an example of what an deductive argument will look like.
1)All spiders have 8 legs
2) A tarantula is a spider it must therefore have 8 legs.
What is an analogy?
Similarities between 2 different things are used to support the conclusion. If A, B and C are similar then D must also be similar. This does depend on how similar or relevant things are.
What is a Priori argument?
Like deductive arguments, the proof can be made solely through the logic of the argument, No need for evidence or experiences.
What is a Posteriori argument?
They derive from experience and will need evidence. These arguments look at the world and say: If we’ve experienced ‘X’ then ‘Y’ must be true.
Give examples of a Posteriori arguments
Design argument
Moral argument
Cosmological argument
- The arguments from religious experience.
What is an Analytic statement/ proposition?
Propositions in which the predicate (the part of a sentence that tells you what something is or does) is contained within the subject content. Also referred to as tautologies.
e.g. All husbands are married. (Husband is the subject and married is the predicate. We know all husbands are married so there is no need for evidence.)
