Midterm Study Guide Flashcards
What is the definition of truth?
A property of statements or propositions that corresponds to reality or facts.
What does the Correspondence Theory of Truth state?
Truth is determined by how accurately statements reflect the actual state of affairs.
What is the Coherence Theory of Truth?
Truth is based on the consistency of a set of beliefs or propositions.
Define the Pragmatic Theory of Truth.
Truth is what works or has practical implications in real-life situations.
What is ontology?
The study of being and existence, focusing on what entities exist and their nature.
Explain the Mind-Body Problem.
A philosophical issue concerning how the mind relates to the body, especially regarding consciousness and physical states.
What is Dualism?
The belief that the mind and body are distinct and separate substances.
Describe Physicalism.
The view that everything, including mental states, can be explained in terms of physical processes.
What is Idealism in philosophy?
The philosophical position that reality is fundamentally mental and immaterial.
Define Personal Identity.
The concept of what makes a person the same over time, despite changes.
What is Psychological Continuity?
The theory that personal identity is maintained through the continuity of consciousness and memory.
Explain Bodily Continuity.
The idea that a person remains the same if their body remains the same, regardless of psychological changes.
What is Bundle Theory?
The view that a person is a collection of experiences and perceptions without a single underlying self.
What does the Ship of Theseus thought experiment question?
It questions identity when all parts of an object are replaced over time.
What is Cryonics?
The practice of preserving individuals at extremely low temperatures after death, hoping for future revival.
Define Near-Death Experience (NDE).
A phenomenon reported by individuals close to death, often involving feelings of peace or out-of-body experiences.
What are the metaphysical implications of life after death beliefs?
Philosophical questions arising from beliefs about existence beyond physical life and the nature of the soul.
Who is Immanuel Kant and what was his contribution to philosophy?
A philosopher who argued that human cognition is limited, distinguishing between phenomena (the perceived world) and noumena (the world as it is).
What is John Locke known for in the context of truth?
Differentiating between primary qualities (objective) and secondary qualities (subjective) to explain how perceptions shape our understanding of reality.
What role do biases play in understanding truth and reality?
Biases can distort individual perceptions, affecting how beliefs align or conflict with objective truths.