Philosophy Flashcards
What is philosophy?
The study of fundamental questions about reality, knowledge, and ethics.
Why is philosophy called the ‘Master Subject’?
Because it examines other fields of knowledge.
What is an argument?
A set of statements where premises support a conclusion.
What are the two main types of arguments?
Deductive and Inductive.
What is a deductive argument?
An argument that guarantees truth if premises are true.
What is an inductive argument?
An argument that provides probable support but not certainty.
What makes an argument valid?
If the premises are true, the conclusion must be true.
What makes an argument sound?
An argument that is valid and has true premises.
What is Plato’s Allegory of the Cave?
A story illustrating the difference between illusion and reality.
What do the prisoners in the cave represent?
People who only see the physical world and mistake it for reality.
What does the sun represent in the Allegory of the Cave?
The ultimate truth and intellectual enlightenment.
What are Plato’s Forms?
Perfect, unchanging essences of things (e.g., Justice, Beauty, Goodness).
What is the ultimate goal in Plato’s philosophy?
Understanding the Form of the Good.
What is Descartes’ method of doubt?
Rejecting all beliefs that could possibly be false.
What is the Dream Argument?
If we can’t distinguish dreams from reality, we cannot trust our senses.
What is the Evil Demon Hypothesis?
A powerful deceiver could manipulate perceptions, making reality uncertain.
What is Descartes’ first certainty?
Cogito, Ergo Sum (‘I think, therefore I am’).
What is a ‘thinking thing’ according to Descartes?
Something that doubts, understands, affirms, denies, wills, and imagines.
How does Descartes prove God’s existence?
The idea of a perfect God must come from a perfect being, not from Descartes himself.
What is Locke’s theory of knowledge?
All knowledge comes from experience.
What are the two sources of knowledge according to Locke?
Sensation and Reflection.
What are primary qualities?
Qualities that exist in objects, such as solidity, motion, and number.
What are secondary qualities?
Qualities dependent on perception, such as colors and tastes.
What are complex ideas?
Ideas formed by combining simple ideas, like substances and modes.
What is a priori knowledge?
Knowledge that is independent of experience.
What is a posteriori knowledge?
Knowledge gained from experience.
What is an analytic judgment?
A statement true by definition, like ‘All bachelors are unmarried’.
What is a synthetic judgment?
A statement that adds new knowledge, like ‘The sun will rise tomorrow’.
What is a synthetic a priori judgment?
A necessary truth that is not derived from experience, like ‘Every event has a cause’.
What are the two main distinctions in Kant’s theory?
Pure vs. Empirical Knowledge, and Analytic vs. Synthetic Judgments.
What was G.E. Moore trying to prove?
The existence of external objects.
What was Moore’s simple proof of the external world?
‘Here is one hand, and here is another.’
What are the three conditions for a valid proof according to Moore?
Premises must be different from the conclusion, premises must be known, and the conclusion must logically follow.
What does Moore say about perception?
Objects exist independently of perception.
What distinction does Moore make regarding space?
‘Presented in space’ vs. ‘To be met with in space’ (real external objects).
What is philosophy?
The study of fundamental questions about reality, knowledge, and ethics.
Why is philosophy called the ‘Master Subject’?
Because it examines other fields of knowledge.
What is an argument?
A set of statements where premises support a conclusion.
What are the two main types of arguments?
Deductive and Inductive.
What is a deductive argument?
An argument that guarantees truth if premises are true.
What is an inductive argument?
An argument that provides probable support but not certainty.
What makes an argument valid?
If the premises are true, the conclusion must be true.
What makes an argument sound?
An argument that is valid and has true premises.
What is Plato’s Allegory of the Cave?
A story illustrating the difference between illusion and reality.
What do the prisoners in the cave represent?
People who only see the physical world and mistake it for reality.
What does the sun represent in the Allegory of the Cave?
The ultimate truth and intellectual enlightenment.
What are Plato’s Forms?
Perfect, unchanging essences of things (e.g., Justice, Beauty, Goodness).
What is the ultimate goal in Plato’s philosophy?
Understanding the Form of the Good.
What is Descartes’ method of doubt?
Rejecting all beliefs that could possibly be false.
What is the Dream Argument?
If we can’t distinguish dreams from reality, we cannot trust our senses.
What is the Evil Demon Hypothesis?
A powerful deceiver could manipulate perceptions, making reality uncertain.
What is Descartes’ first certainty?
Cogito, Ergo Sum (‘I think, therefore I am’).
What is a ‘thinking thing’ according to Descartes?
Something that doubts, understands, affirms, denies, wills, and imagines.
How does Descartes prove God’s existence?
The idea of a perfect God must come from a perfect being, not from Descartes himself.
What is Locke’s theory of knowledge?
All knowledge comes from experience.
What are the two sources of knowledge according to Locke?
Sensation and Reflection.
What are primary qualities?
Qualities that exist in objects, such as solidity, motion, and number.
What are secondary qualities?
Qualities dependent on perception, such as colors and tastes.
What are complex ideas?
Ideas formed by combining simple ideas, like substances and modes.
What is a priori knowledge?
Knowledge that is independent of experience.
What is a posteriori knowledge?
Knowledge gained from experience.
What is an analytic judgment?
A statement true by definition, like ‘All bachelors are unmarried’.
What is a synthetic judgment?
A statement that adds new knowledge, like ‘The sun will rise tomorrow’.
What is a synthetic a priori judgment?
A necessary truth that is not derived from experience, like ‘Every event has a cause’.
What are the two main distinctions in Kant’s theory?
Pure vs. Empirical Knowledge, and Analytic vs. Synthetic Judgments.
What was G.E. Moore trying to prove?
The existence of external objects.
What was Moore’s simple proof of the external world?
‘Here is one hand, and here is another.’
What are the three conditions for a valid proof according to Moore?
Premises must be different from the conclusion, premises must be known, and the conclusion must logically follow.
What does Moore say about perception?
Objects exist independently of perception.
What distinction does Moore make regarding space?
‘Presented in space’ vs. ‘To be met with in space’ (real external objects).
What is reasoning?
The process of drawing conclusions from premises.
What is inference?
The act of moving from premises to a conclusion.
What is an example of a valid deductive argument?
All humans are mortal. Socrates is human. Therefore, Socrates is mortal.
What is an example of an inductive argument?
Every swan I have seen is white. Therefore, all swans are probably white.
What does it mean for an inductive argument to be strong?
If the premises are true, the conclusion is probably true.
Why do the prisoners in the cave believe shadows are real?
Because they have never seen anything else.
What happens when a prisoner leaves the cave?
He initially struggles with the light but eventually sees the real world.
Why does Plato reference Homer in the Allegory of the Cave?
To argue that it is better to live in reality, even if difficult, than in illusion.
How do people in the cave react to someone who returns with new knowledge?
They reject and may even kill him.
What is the goal of Descartes’ Meditations?
To establish a secure foundation for knowledge.
Why does Descartes distrust the senses?
Because they have deceived him before.
What does Descartes believe about the existence of the body?
It is uncertain, but the mind’s existence is certain.
What is the Wax Argument?
That our understanding of objects comes from reason, not the senses.
What is the ‘Tabula Rasa’?
The idea that the mind is a blank slate at birth.
What is the difference between primary and secondary qualities?
Primary qualities exist in the object; secondary qualities depend on perception.
What is an example of a primary quality?
Shape or motion.
What is an example of a secondary quality?
Color or taste.
What does Locke say about complex ideas?
They are built from simple ideas through combination, relation, or abstraction.
What does Kant mean by ‘pure reason’?
Reason that operates independently of experience.
What is the difference between synthetic and analytic judgments?
Analytic judgments are true by definition; synthetic judgments add new information.
What is an example of a synthetic a priori judgment?
‘Every effect has a cause.’
What does Kant say about metaphysics?
It struggles because it does not recognize the limits of pure reason.
What does Moore say about proving external objects?
If at least one external object exists, then the external world exists.
What is the significance of Moore’s hand example?
It provides direct evidence of external things.
How does Moore respond to skepticism?
By arguing that common sense beliefs provide sufficient proof of the external world.
What is the difference between ‘presented in space’ and ‘to be met with in space’?
‘Presented in space’ refers to illusions or perceptions, while ‘to be met with in space’ refers to actual external objects.
