Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Definitions (Part 1)

Here I simply wanted to begin a series of posts with the definitions of terms I have used but may not have defined.  This list is not exhaustive or complete, nor is it the sole one I will upload.  It is subject to expansion, revision, and change as I decide to place more definitions in these three categories.  Other definitions in separate categories will be uploaded at a later time.


PHILOSOPHY TERMS

Philosophy--study of belief systems, reality, and thought

Epistemology--study of knowledge, including how it is justified or obtained

Ontology--study of reality

Metaphysics--study of what exists

Theology--study of God

Natural theology--study of God based on the natural material world

Ethics--study of moral beliefs and what humans are morally obligated to do

Aesthetics--study of art and beauty

Other minds--phrase referring to minds that exist independent of and other than the mind of a particular individual

External world--space containing physical items that exist external to and independent of an individual

Philosophical zombie--a hypothetical being that appears and acts like an ordinary person which does not possess sentience or consciousness

Cognitive dissonance--condition of holding two contradictory or opposing beliefs simultaneously

Paradox--statement or conclusion that seems inconsistent or impossible but isn't

Occam's razor--principle stating that if two or multiple hypotheses are available describing something the one of the smallest number of assumptions or minimal complexity should be chosen

Existential crisis--time during which an individual contemplates his or her existence, reality, and whether or not meaning or purpose exists


PHILOSOPHIES

Empiricism--belief that all or most knowledge is derived from experience or sense perception

Scientism--belief that science alone reveals truth

Rationalism--belief that reason reveals or confirms truth

Foundationalism--belief that there are undeniable foundational axioms upon which all other knowledge is based

Naturism--belief system advocating respect for nature and/or nudism

Naturalism--belief that nature is all that exists and that nothing transcends it

Materialism--belief that nothing immaterial exists; related very intimately to naturalism

Determinism--belief that every action and event is inescapably determined by preceding actions or events

Fatalism--belief that certain events will simply occur despite the protest or actions of humans

Compatibalism--belief that free will and some form of fatalism (usually theistic predestination) can coexist simultaneously

Transhumanism--belief that humans should infuse their bodies with technology to improve the human race

Egalitarianism--belief that people are equal and should be treated likewise

Ethnocentrism--belief that one's culture is superior to other cultures

Objectivism--belief that concepts like morality or beauty have objective standards that exist independent of and regardless of human awareness, preference, or practice

Relativism--belief that a concept like morality or beauty is purely subjective and relative to some other authority (such as a situation, government, or individual) where it is subject to change

Emotivism--belief that moral statements are merely expressions of subjective emotion with no correspondence to a higher reality

Deontological ethics--belief that if an action is morally wrong that it is always wrong in every circumstance and is never justifiable

Utilitarianism--belief that the wellbeing of the majority matters more than the wellbeing of individuals and that an action is moral or immoral inasmuch as it furthers the wellbeing of the majority

Hedonism--belief that pleasure is the greatest good and thus humans should pursue it

Legal positivism--belief that human political laws are not subject to a higher moral authority because no such standard exists

Pacifism--belief that violence is never morally justifiable in any context

Pluralism--belief that differing claims about something (like religion) can be or are right at the same time

Nihilism--belief that there is no meaning to life or the universe

Skepticism--belief that knowledge about something is uncertain or unknowable; sometimes the belief that it is impossible to know almost anything about reality

Probablism--belief that if proof of a matter is inaccessible then probability determines what is a justified belief

Absurdism--belief that life is absurd due to limitations on knowledge and an inability to discover the objective meaning of life; a type of skepticism that does not deny objective purpose but resigns it to the unknown

Simulation hypothesis--belief or hypothesis that the external world we perceive with our senses is not the real external world and that we exist within a simulation

Solipsism--belief that the only thing we can know for sure is the existence of our own minds

Anti-realism--belief that there is no objective external world, or the belief that there is no objective truth with regard to specific things (such as the existence of other minds or ethical obligations)


VIEWS ON GOD

Theism--belief in a deity that created the material world, usually one with traditionally-ascribed attributes

Religion--organized theological belief system

Monotheism--belief in a single god

Polytheism--belief in multiple or many gods

Henotheism--belief that multiple gods exist but preference or special worship for a single deity

Fitheism--belief that God does exist but reason is incapable of discovering him and that God must therefore be wholly embraced on blind faith

Deism--belief that a deity created the universe and then either departed or refuses to interfere with it

Pantheism--belief that God and the universe are synonymous, that they are one and the same

Agnosticism--belief that whether or not a god exists is uncertain or unknowable; uncertainty about a proposition (such as the statement that God exists)

Atheism--belief that there is no god

Antitheism--a form of atheism that militantly and hostilely opposes religion

Theistic rationalism--a combination of either a generic or specific form of both theism and rationalism

Skeptical theism--belief that God exists but his motivations and reasons for allowing evil cannot be known in this life

Christianity--monotheistic religion based on the teachings of Jesus Christ and both the Old and New Testaments

Judaism--monotheistic religion based on the Old Testament and Rabbinic literature

Islam--monotheistic religion based  on the Quran and the Hadith, started by Mohammed

Mormonism--religion based on the Bible and the Book of Mormon, started by Joseph Smith

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