Philosophy Ch 1

Front 1

what does philosophy begin with?

Back 1

begins with wonder
about the universe, its contents, and our place in it.

Front 2

why are philosophical questions unavoidable?

Back 2

any attempt to avoid them requires taking a stand on them

Front 3

what does the word philosophy mean?

Back 3

love of wisdom/ the desire to know the truth

Front 4

what are the 4 branches of philosophy?

Back 4

1.) metaphysics
2.) epistemology
3.) axiology
4.) logic

Front 5

metaphysics

Back 5

the study of ultimate reality

Front 6

epistemology

Back 6

the study of knowledge

- what is truth?

Front 7

axiology

Back 7

the study of value

- what is value?

Front 8

logic

Back 8

the study of correct reasoning

- what is an argument?

Front 9

mind-body problem

Back 9

the problem of explaining how it is possible for a material object to have a mind.

Front 10

problem of personal identity

Back 10

explaining how it is possible for a person to change and yet remain the same person.

Front 11

problem of free will

Back 11

how it is possible for a causally determined action to be free.

Front 12

probelm of evil

Back 12

how it is possible for there to be evil in a world created by an all powerful, all knowing, and all good being

Front 13

probelm of moral relativism

Back 13

how it is possible for there to be absolute moral standards

Front 14

problem of skepticism

Back 14

How it is possible for there to be knowledge.
knowledge requires certainty

- knowledge is based on sense experience. our senses sometimes deceive us.

Front 15

how do philosophical problems arise?

Back 15

the realization that some of our most fundamental beliefs seem to be inconsistent with one antoher.

Front 16

necessary condition

Back 16

something x is a necessary condition for something y if and only if it is impossiblne for y to exist without x.

(A requirement)

Front 17

sufficient condition

Back 17

something x is a sufficient condition for something y if and only if it is impossible for x to exist without y.

( a guarantee)

Front 18

what were the socratics concerned with?

Back 18

the nature of reality

- what is justice?
what is virtue?
what is knowledge?

Front 19

logical impossibility

Back 19

something is logically impossible if and only if it violates the law of noncontradiction.

Front 20

law of noncontradiction

Back 20

the principle that nothing can both have and lack a property at the same time and in the same respect.

- a round square cannot be round and a square at the same time.

Front 21

causal impossibility

Back 21

somethins is causally impossible if and only if it violates a law of nature

- cow jumping over the moon

Front 22

argument

Back 22

a group of statements consisting of one or more premises and a conclusion that purportedly follows form the premises

Front 23

conclusion

Back 23

the claim that an argument is trying to establish
therefore... socrates is a mortal.

Front 24

premise

Back 24

a rerason given for acepting the conclusion of an argument

- all men are mortal
"because, provided that, for if as follows from...etc.

Front 25

valid argument

Back 25

a deductive argument in which it's logically impossible for the premises to be true and the conclusion false.

Front 26

sound argument

Back 26

a valid deductive argument that contains only true premises

Front 27

strong argument

Back 27

an inductive argument that would establish its conclusion with a high degree of probability if its premises were true.

Front 28

cogent argument

Back 28

a strong inductive argument that contains only true premises.

Front 29

criteria of adequacy

Back 29

the geatures that distinguish a good theory from a bad one: consistency, lack of contradictions

simplicity, quality of relying on only a small number of assumptions
scope, the amount of diverse phenomena explained
conservatism, quality of fitting well with existing theories
fruitfulness the number of new facts predicted or problems solved.