reason as a source of knowledge key words

Question 1

A posteriori

Answer 1

Knowledge that is gained from experience of the world

Question 2

A priori

Answer 2

Knowledge that is gained via human reason

Question 3

Abductive argument

Answer 3

Taking an effect and arguing for the most likely cause.

Question 4

Analytic truth

Answer 4

A proposition that is true by virtue of the meaning of the words e.g. ‘the
bachelor is unmarried’ or ‘triangles have 3 sides’. Denying an analytic truth
leads to a logical contradiction – a 4-sided triangle just doesn’t make sense.

Question 5

Clear and distinct ideas

Answer 5

The basic or self-justifying beliefs that Descartes hopes to use as foundations
for his system of knowledge

Question 6

Contingent truth

Answer 6

Something that is true but might not have been true. E.g. Paris is the capital of
France, water boils at 100 degrees Celsius.

Question 7

Deduction

Answer 7

The ability to infer what must follow from other facts

Question 8

Deductive argument

Answer 8

An argument where the truth of the conclusion is guaranteed by the truth of
the premises. For example, P1 - it rains on Thursdays, P2 - today is a Thursday, C
- It will rain today

Question 9

Empiricism

Answer 9

The view that there is no such thing as innate knowledge, all propositional
knowledge is acquired after we are born (anti-innatism) and a posteriori (anti rationalism)

Question 10

Hume’s Fork

Answer 10

David Hume’s claim that there are only two types of concept: matters of fact
and relations of ideas

Question 11

Inductive argument

Answer 11

An argument where the truth of the conclusion is not fully guaranteed by the
truth of the premises; moves from a specific example to a generalisation, or
from past to future

Question 12

Innatism

Answer 12

The view that there is some propositional knowledge that we are born with.

Question 13

Intuition

Answer 13

The ability to know something is true just by thinking about it

Question 14

Matters of fact

Answer 14

Facts and generalisations about the world that we know through experience (a
posteriori). The opposite is conceivable. Synthetic truths.

Question 15

Necessary truth

Answer 15

Something that must be true (in all possible worlds). E.g. 1+1 = 2

Question 16

Predicate

Answer 16

The part of a proposition which tells you something about the subject. The
properties it is claimed that the subject has.

Question 17

Rationalism

Answer 17

The view that there are some synthetic truths that can be known purely
through a priori means.

Question 18

Relations of ideas

Answer 18

Things we can know by reason (a priori), they are true by definition and the
opposite is not conceivable e.g. ‘all bachelors are unmarried’. Analytic truths.

Question 19

Subject

Answer 19

What or whom the proposition is about

Question 20

Synthetic truth

Answer 20

A proposition that is true by virtue of how the world is e.g. ‘grass is green’ or
‘water boils at 100 degrees’. Denying a synthetic truth does not lead to a logical
contradiction. The idea of red grass makes sense, even if it is not how the world
is.