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| In contrast to philosophy, this provides people with a "big-picture" view of the universe through stories about the origin of the universe and the place of human beings within it, which are generally passed down through oral tradition. |
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| Sometimes in contrast, and sometimes in conjunction with philosophy, this provides people with a "big-picture" view of the universe based on a divine revelation |
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| An intellectual activity involving persistent, critical questioning of ordinarily unquestioned assumptions that seeks to develop a "big-picture" view of the universe with the help of reason |
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| One of the most influential British philosophers of the 20th century, who argued that the primary value of philosophy consists in the "goods of the mind" it confers on those who study it |
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| A Greek philosopher who lived in Athens in the 5th century BC, who died by drinking hemlock after being sentenced to death as a result of his philosophical activities. |
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| The founder of the famous Academy in Athens and author of the Apology and several other philosophical dialogues in which Socrates figures prominently |
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| The branch of philosophy that studies the nature of arguments in order to distinguish good ones from bad ones |
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| The branch of philosophy that studies the nature of knowledge, its limits, and the various ways in which it can be acquired |
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| The branch of philosophy that concerns itself with questions about what is ultimately real, and with issues such as the mind/body problem, the problem of personal identity, and the problem of free will |
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| The branch of philosophy that aims to identify, and assess the validity of, the standards we use when we judge certain people and actions to be "good" or "evil," "wrong" or "right" |
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| the branch of philosophy that concerns itself mainly with questions about the nature of art and beauty |
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| A term used to refer to the relationship to one another of two or more beliefs that do not contradict one another or are logically compatible |
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| A term used to refer to the relationship to one another of two or more beliefs that are contradictory or logically incompatible in such a way that at least one of them cannot possibly be true |
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| The fundamental principle of logic, which states that two contradictory statements (A and not-A) cannot both be true of the same thing at the same time |
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| What occurs when someone affirms two or more claims that are logically inconsistent, and therefore cannot all be true |
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| A term used to refer to things that could actually happen or exist in reality given our current understanding of how the universe works |
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| A term used to refer to things and events that are clearly conceivable in the sense that the possibility of their existing or occurring does not involve a logical contradiction, even if it is not causally possible |
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| the sort of definition you might find in a dictionary |
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| an instrument used by philosophers to identify something's necessary and sufficient conditions |
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| What philosophers look for in attempting to test different possible definitions of the terms involved in various philosophical claims |
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| a condition that must be met in order for something to be the case (e.g. being unmarried is a necessary condition for being a bachelor) |
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| a condition which, if it is met, guarantees that something is the case (e.g. being a mother is a sufficient condition for being a woman) |
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| An attempt to establish the truth of a philosophical claim by producing reasons that serve to establish its truth either with absolute certainty or else with a relatively high degree of probability |
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| The claim that a particular philosophical argument seeks to establish as true |
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| The reason or reasons (there can be more than one) given to support the conclusion of an argument, and from which the conclusion is inferred |
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| The act of thinking through which we are led to believe that a conclusion follows from a certain premise or premises |
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| A tool used by philosophers for presenting philosophical arguments in a way that allows there all the premises and the conclusion to be clearly identified and evaluated |
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| An argument that, if it is sound, succeeds in establishing its conclusion with absolute certainty because, in that case, it is logically impossible for the conclusion to be false |
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| A deductive argument is said to be “valid” if the conclusion of the argument follows necessarily from the premise(s), whether or not the premise(s) are true |
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| A deductive argument is said to be “sound” if 1) the premises contained in it are true and 2) the conclusion follows necessarily from the premise(s) |
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| An argument based on past experience that can succeed at best in establishing the conclusion with a very high degree of probability |
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| strong inductive argument |
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| An inductive argument is said to be strong if the evidence contained in the premise(s) succeeds in establishing the conclusion with a high degree of probability |
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| An inductive argument is said to be weak if the evidence contained in the premise(s) establishes the conclusion with only a low degree of probability |
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