Philosophy 25B Final Vocabulary

Front 1

Teleology

Back 1

Explanation in terms of purpose, and goal-directedness. Given to explain a feature of a things as well as why things are happening

(Aristotelian)

Front 2

Hylomorphism

Back 2

Explanation in terms of form. Every living thing is composed of matter and form

(Aristotelian)

Front 3

Corpusculariansim

Back 3

aka "New Science"

There is just one kind of 'body' or 'matter' that is divided into particles. Everything in the natural world is made of tiny bodies.

Front 4

Cartesian (Substance) Dualism

Back 4

Mind and body are the only distinct substance.

The primary property of mind is thought.

The primary property of body is extension.

Descartes believes in a plurality of both types of substances

(objection: the interaction problem)

Front 5

Rationalism

Back 5

There are inherent beliefs.

(Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz)

Front 6

Empiricism

Back 6

All our beliefs come from experience

(Locke, Berkeley, Reid, Hume)

Front 7

Interaction Problem

Back 7

A distinction between three basic notions: thought, extension, and union (between mind and body). How can the material and immaterial interact?

Front 8

Monism

Back 8

Denies the existence of a distinction or duality, such as that between matter and mind, or God and the world.

Front 9

Determinism

Back 9

The doctrine that all events, including human action, are ultimately determined by causes external to the will. Implies that individual human beings have no free will and cannot be held morally responsible for their actions

Front 10

Necessitarianism

Back 10

Things could be no other way than the way they are; an extreme form of determinism

Front 11

Monadology

Back 11

Leibniz, uses monads to explain the world. Monads are everywhere, and there is no extension without monads.

Front 12

Phenomenalism

Back 12

View about the nature of bodies; bodies are collections of mental entities (e.g. Ideas, perceptions...)

Front 13

Idealism

Back 13

The only things that exist are mind/mental substances.

(Berkeley)

Front 14

Primary Quality

Back 14

Produces ideas in our minds that 'resemble' the corresponding qualities in the objects that caused us to have those ideas. These qualities are caused by features that are in the bodies and resemble the actual object, like the 'geometrical properties' of size, shape, and motion.

Front 15

Secondary Quality

Back 15

Do not resemble the corresponding qualities of bodies that produce ideas in the mind, and are dependent upon one's perception.

These qualities, unlike primary qualities, hold a certain kind of "power." For example, redness is a secondary quality, and it has the power

Front 16

A priori judgment

Back 16

Knowledge that is independent of past experience.

Front 17

A posteriori judgment

Back 17

Knowledge that is dependent on experience or empirical evidence.

Front 18

Analytic judgment

Back 18

The predicate concept is contained in the subject concept.

i.e. All bodies are extended. All bachelors are unmarried men

Front 19

Synthetic judgment

Back 19

Joining two concepts together in order to make a judgment

i.e. All triangles have angles summing to 180 degrees

Front 20

Cogito Ergo Sum

Back 20

"I think therefore I am." (Descartes)

This is Descartes' key point for grounding all of his further claims -- that thinking and existing are one and the same.

Front 21

Objection to "Cogito Ergo Sum?"

Back 21

Descartes is not entitled to "I" think, only "there is thinking"

This is problematic because Descartes thinks he is entitled to "I" as a fundamental substance that exists in his own right.

Front 22

Esse Est Percipi

Back 22

"To be is to be perceived." (Berkeley)

Front 23

Tabula Rasa

Back 23

The belief that we are all blank slates, and everything we are is shapes via our experiences (Locke)

**This is the key premise of Empiricism