PHILOSOPHY Flashcards
Reasoning and Logic:
Definition: Study of correct reasoning and arguments.
Key Questions: What makes an argument valid? How do we avoid biases?
Importance: Helps make decisions, defend positions, and understand the world.
Metaphysics:
Definition: Examines the nature of reality and existence.
Key Questions: What exists? What is real? Is life predetermined?
Ontology: Subfield focusing on the nature of being.
Epistemology:
Definition: Study of knowledge and belief.
Key Questions: What does it mean to “know” something? Is knowledge subjective or objective?
Focus: Certainty, truth, and how knowledge is obtained.
Ethics:
Definition: Study of right and wrong behavior.
Key Questions: What is moral conduct? How do we determine right from wrong?
Importance: Guides personal and societal conduct.
Social and Political Philosophy:
Definition: Examines how society organizes itself.
Key Questions: What is justice? What is the ideal government?
Focus: Rights, freedom, and societal regulations.
Aesthetics:
Definition: Study of beauty and art.
Key Questions: What is art? Is beauty subjective or objective?
Importance: Explores the role of art in society.
Ancient (700 BCE–300 CE)
Early thinkers like Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle explored fundamental questions about existence and knowledge.
Middle Ages (900–1400 CE):
Philosophers like Augustine and Aquinas combined classical philosophy with religious thought.
Renaissance (1500–1600):
Rebirth of classical ideas, focusing on humanism.
Enlightenment (1687–1789):
Emphasis on reason, science, and individual rights (e.g., Locke, Rousseau).
Early Modern (1500–1800):
Development of new philosophical systems (e.g., Descartes, Kant).
Late Modern (1800s):
Rise of existentialism and idealism (e.g., Hegel, Nietzsche).
Contemporary (1900–present):
Diverse philosophical movements, including analytic philosophy and postmodernism.
