Flashcards on Introduction to Philosophy: Core Concepts
Introduction to Philosophy: Core Concepts - Student Guide
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Philosophy
19 cards
Card 1
Question: What is the literal meaning of the word 'philosophy' from Greek roots?
Answer: 'Love of wisdom' (philo = love, sophia = wisdom).
Card 2
Question: What is the primary purpose of philosophy as described in the content?
Answer: A search for truth, reality, and meaning using reason and critical thinking; asking questions science and religion cannot fully answer.
Card 3
Question: How did Bertrand Russell characterize philosophy's position relative to science and theology?
Answer: Philosophy sits between science and theology: it appeals to reason like science but deals with matters where definitive knowledge has been elusive, li
Card 4
Question: Name the five main branches of philosophy listed and the central question each asks.
Answer: Ontology: What exists? Epistemology: What is knowledge/truth? Ethics: What is good and evil? Aesthetics: What is beauty and art? Logic: What is correc
Card 5
Question: What is materialism in the context of the essence of the universe?
Answer: The belief that only matter exists and everything, including consciousness, results from physical processes.
Card 6
Question: Which ancient philosopher proposed that the universe consists of atoms and empty space, including the soul?
Answer: Democritus.
Card 7
Question: How did La Mettrie view human beings and the mind?
Answer: Humans are essentially complex machines; the mind is just brain activity.
Card 8
Question: What do Hobbes and Dennett say about the immaterial soul and the self?
Answer: They deny an immaterial soul exists; the 'self' is an illusion or a story created by the brain.
Card 9
Question: What is idealism regarding the essence of the universe?
Answer: The belief that mind or spirit is the primary reality and that matter depends on perception or a higher power.
Card 10
Question: How did Augustine describe the highest reality and the source of truth?
Answer: God is the highest reality and the source of all truth (Divine Illumination).