Midterm Exam Definitions Flashcards
Study terms I need to know for exam
‘Philosophy’ =df
A discipline that works to answer questions about the fundamental nature of the world, questions that cannot be answered by empirical means alone
‘Logic’ =df
The systematic study of the laws of truth and truth-preservation
‘Argument’ =df
A finite sequence of propositions
‘Premise’ =df
Every proposition in an argument except for the last proposition
‘Conclusion’ =df
The last proposition in an argument
‘Argument A is necessarily truth preserving (NTP)’ =df
It is impossible for all the premises in A to be true while A’s conclusion is false
‘Argument A is valid’ =df
Both
I. A is NTP, and
II. A is NTP in virtue of A’s
form/structure
‘Argument A is sound’ =df
Both
I. every premise in A is true
II. A is valid
‘p is a proposition’ =df
I. p is a thing that is either true or false, and
II. p is expressed by a speaker uttering a declarative sentence in a given context
Principle of Bivalence
Every proposition is either true or false
Principle of Contravalence
No proposition is both true & false (at the same time)
The Correspondence of Truth
For every proposition, p, p is true if and only if p corresponds to the way things actually are
‘State of affairs’ =df
The combination of things & their properties (& the relations they bear to other things)
‘p is a basic proposition’ =df
p is a proposition having no proper parts that are themselves propositions
’* is a truth-functional connective’ =df
- is a symbol used to modify one or more propositions in such a way that the truth value of the resulting proposition is a function of its truth values of its composition
‘Premise indicator’ =df
Expressions indicating that the proposition they modify is a premise
‘Conclusion indicator’ = df
Expressions indicating that the proposition they modify is a conclusion
‘p is an implicit statement in argument A’ =df
p is not stated in A, but p is required to make the reasoning in A explicit and logical
Epistemology
Study of knowledge
External World Skepticism
For any proposition about the external world (physical, external to your mind), p, it is impossible to know whether p is true (or false)
‘p is epistemically possible for S’ =df
There are no propositions, q, such that
I. S is aware that q contradicts p, and
II. S holds q to be certain
‘Sense-data’ =df
The apparent qualities of physcial objects as conveyed by the senses
‘S knows x by acquaintance’ =df
S is non-inferentially (not based on inference) aware of x, just as x is
‘S knows x by description’ =df
Both
I. S has justified, true, belief (JTB) in some proposition, p, and
II. p describes x
‘Arguement A is deductive’ =df
The reasoning in A is “good: only if A is valid
Effective Method
A set of simple rules that can be applied to answer a question, always leading eventually to the correct answer (and no wrong answers)
‘Argument A is strong’ =df
It is probable (but not necessary) that, if A’s premises are true, then A’s conclusion is true
‘Argument A is inductive’ =df
The reasoning in A is “good” only if A is strong
The Principle of Induction
The greater the number of cases in which a thing of sort A has been found associated with a thing of sort B, the more probable it is that A is always associated with B
‘S is non-inferentially aware of x’ =df
S is aware of x, and this awareness is not based on, or mediated by, any other awareness or belief that S might have.
‘p is a compound proposition’ =df
p is a proposition made up from other propositions and connectives
