Glossary

Question 1

Agent

Answer 1

The person who performs an action

Question 2

Altruistic act

Answer 2

An action that solely benefits people other than the agent of the action

Question 3

Analytic statement

Answer 3

A statement in which the predicate is contained in the subject

Question 4

a posteriori

Answer 4

What is known/ justified on the basis of experience

Question 5

Basic belief

Answer 5

A belief that justifies itself

Question 6

a priori

Answer 6

What is known/ justified on the basis of experience

Question 7

Belief

Answer 7

A thought about the world a person asserts as true

Question 8

Categories

Answer 8

The concepts Kant judges necessary for experience

Question 9

Causation

Answer 9

X causes Y, where X produces or is responsible for Y

Question 10

Certainty

Answer 10

A state where a person cannot doubt a given proposition

Question 11

Character trait

Answer 11

A pattern of judgement, desire or feeling

Question 12

Coherentism

Answer 12

The claim that a belief is justified if it coheres with other beliefs

Question 13

Concept

Answer 13

The constituents of thoughts

Question 14

Conceptual relativism

Answer 14

The view that the particular set, or scheme, of concepts we have is relative. (e.g) the community we live in

Question 15

Conceptual scheme

Answer 15

A set of concepts

Question 16

Conclusion

Answer 16

A proposition inferred from other propositions

Question 17

Contingent truth

Answer 17

A statement that happens to be true but which we can imagine being false in different circumstances

Question 18

Deduction

Answer 18

An argument in which the truth of the premises guarantees the truth of the conclusion

Question 19

Deontology

Answer 19

The view that duty is the fundamental ethical concept

Question 20

Disposition

Answer 20

A pattern on desire, judgement of feeling

Question 21

Duty

Answer 21

What is owed, the things we are required to do, what morality demands of us

Question 22

Egoism

Answer 22

Any views that have self-interest at their core

Question 23

Empiricism

Answer 23

The view that knowledge originates in, and is justified by, experience

Question 24

Epistemology

Answer 24

The theory of knowledge

Question 25

Ethical egoism

Answer 25

The view that it is morally good to do what is in ones self interest

Question 26

Ethics

Answer 26

The study of good/bad, right/wrong, of moral judgement and moral motivation

Question 27

Eudaimonia

Answer 27

A blessed life

Question 28

Fallacy

Answer 28

A mistake in reasoning

Question 29

Foundationalism

Answer 29

A belief is justified if it is ultimately inferred from basic beliefs

Question 30

Hedonism

Answer 30

Pleasure at the core

Question 31

Hypothetical imperative

Answer 31

An order an agent must obey only if he has a particular desire

Question 32

Imperative

Answer 32

Statements that are orders

Question 33

Incorrigible

Answer 33

A proposition that cannot be corrected

Question 34

Indubitable

Answer 34

A proposition that cannot be doubted

Question 35

Induction

Answer 35

An argument in which the premises render a conclusion merely probable

Question 36

Inference

Answer 36

Generation of new proposition or statement through the combination of other statements

Question 37

Innate ideas

Answer 37

Concepts not acquired and are part of out rational nature

Question 38

Innate knowledge

Answer 38

Statements we know as part of our rational knowledge

Question 39

Justification

Answer 39

The state of being reasonable to believe something

Question 40

Knowledge

Answer 40

The state of having a justified true belief about something

Question 41

Logic

Answer 41

The study of the principles of reasoning

Question 42

Maxim

Answer 42

The subject principle of an action (kants definition) why an agent did something

Question 43

Necessary truth

Answer 43

A statement that we cannot conceive as false under any circumstances

Question 44

Necessary obligation

Answer 44

X is necessary for y if when x is false y must be false

Question 45

Objection

Answer 45

A criticism of a view or argument

Question 46

Predicate

Answer 46

Property or feature ascribed to something

Question 47

Premise

Answer 47

A statement treated as a reason or a ground for a conclusion

Question 48

Proposition

Answer 48

The meaning of a sentence

Question 49

Phsycoligical egoism

Answer 49

The view that all human actions aim at self interest

Question 50

Rationalism

Answer 50

Views that privilege the place of reason in human knowledge

Question 51

Reason

Answer 51

A premise in an argument, combining ideas to produce new ideas

Question 52

Scepticism

Answer 52

A challenge to our claims to possess knowledge in a particular domain

Question 53

Self interest

Answer 53

What is best for us or a motive for action

Question 54

Subject

Answer 54

What a statement is about

Question 55

Synthetic statement

Answer 55

A statement in which the predicate is not contained in the subject

Question 56

Tubula rasa

Answer 56

Blank slate, empiricist image of mind at birth

Question 57

Universal assent

Answer 57

Approval from everyone

Question 58

Universalisability

Answer 58

A maximum us universalisable if it could serve as a law for everyone's conduct

Question 59

Vice

Answer 59

A deplorable character trait

Question 60

Virtue

Answer 60

An excellent character trait