Key Words Flashcards
Pereception
The process by which we become aware of physical objects incl. our own body
Premise
Any reason given
Analytic
Describes the manner in which a proposition is true. It is true by definition - all bachelors are unmarried
Solipsism
the view that all that can be known to exist is my own mind. seen as a sceptical trap into which certain ways of thinking can lead to.
Argument
A series of propositions intended to support an argument
Eschatological
eschatology is the study of the ‘end of things’ or the ‘last things’ as described from a religious perspective - including death, what happens after we die, the end of time etc. (used to show that religious statements can be meaningful as they can be verified if true)
Empiricism
An epistemological position which holds that our beliefs and knowledge must be based on experience.
Free will
also known as metaphysical freedom. The idea of free will is that the self controls aspects of its own life such a bodily movement.
Justification
The support or grounds for holding a belief, which gives someone a reason for believing it. Necessary for knowledge
Dualism
the claim that humans are made of two kinds of stuff - a material body and a spiritual mind
sense data
What one is directly aware of in perception. The subjective elements which constitute experience.
Theodicy
The attempt to justify God’s actions and why a perfect God may have created an imperfect world.
Evil
Moral evil - by humans
natural evil - brought about by natural events
Factual significance
statement has this if it tells us something about the real world - verificationism maintain that a sentence is only meaningful if it has factual significance
Pantheism
The view that God is the same thing as the universe itself
Ontological arguments
Ontology - study of existence
ontological argument is particular proof of Gods existence
Deductive argument
Where the conclusion is guaranteed in the truth of the premises. If one accepts the premises, they must by logic also accept the conclusion.
Evolution
Darwin - organisms gradually change over time according to changes in their environment and genetic mutations, some mutations lead to traits which are better suited to the environment and these more successful organisms have offspring that also survive and reproduce.
Inductive argument
Argument where the truth of the conclusion is not fully guaranteed by the truth of the premises.
Every raven i have seen is black
so all ravens are black
Transcendent
To be outside, beyond, or removed from something. To say God is transcendent is to say he exists outside his creation
Intelligent design
some things are irreducibly complex - only the existence of an intelligent designer (God) can explain them
Holy
Used to encapsulate everything that is special. sacred about god
Necessary / contingent being
Contingent being is one that depends on something else .
Necessary being is one that does not depend upon anything else for its existence
Direct realism
Common sense view of how perception works.
Physical objects have an independent existence in space, they follow the laws of physics and possess certain properties. When humans are in the presence of such objects they are able to perceive them along with all their properties
Metaphysics
Metaphysics is concerned with determining what sorts of things really exist where the world comes from etc.
necessary / sufficient condition
A is a necessary condition for B - you have to have A in order to have B, if you do not have B you do not have B
A is a sufficient condition for B, when you have A you must have B too so having A is enough or sufficient to guarantee you have B
idealism
Anti - realist theory of perception. Put forward by Berkeley, the view that matter does not exist independently of the mind and that all that exists are minds and their ideas. Physical objects are just collections of sensations appearing in our minds. Objects not currently being perceived are sustained in existence by being perceived in the mind of God
Fallacy
argument which is flawed because either a mistake has been made or because has a form or structure which is always invalid
Innate ideas
Ideas that exist in the mind which are not acquired from experience. Rationalists often use the doctrine of innate ideas to explain the possibility of a priori knowledge.
Verificationism
a philosophical belief about the nature of meaning. Logical positivism claims that for a proposition to be meaningful it must be verifiable or true by definition.