Unit 1 Flashcards
Metaphysics – What is Real? (17 cards)
Metaphysics
It explores the nature of reality, existence, and the universe. It’s the branch of philosophy that asks: What is real? What is the fundamental nature of existence?
Substance
Think about what something really is, underneath all its changing features. For example, an acorn changes into an oak tree, but what makes it the same thing throughout that change?
Substance-Definition
What is the underlying reality that makes something what it is? What persists through change?
Substance-Example
An acorn and an oak tree. Despite the massive changes, there’s an underlying “oakness” that connects them. The Latin term “substantia” means the basic reality supporting or standing under features that are incidental to that same thing.
Self and Identity
This is about who you are and whether you remain the same person over time. Is it your body, your thoughts, your soul, or something else?
Self and Identity-Definition
What makes personal identity? What makes you you over time?
Self and Identity-Ship of Theseus
A thought experiment questioning whether an object remains the same if all its parts are replaced. This challenges our idea of identity through change. It makes us wonder: how much can you change before you’re no longer “you”?
Self and Identity-The Soul (Theistic Perpspective)
Many religious traditions, such as Judeo-Christian, posit a soul as the true, unchanging self that persists beyond physical changes.
Self and Identity-Mind-Body Problem (Scientific perspective)
The debate about the relationship between the mind (consciousness, thoughts) and the physical body (brain). Or is your mind something separate from your physical body?
God and the Universe (Cosmology)
These arguments explore the universe’s origin and if God exists. Do we believe in God or gods? Where did everything come from? What is evil?
God and the Universe (Cosmology)-Existence of God
Philosophical arguments for and against the existence of God.
God and the Universe (Cosmology)-Problem of Evil
If an all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-good God exists, why does evil and suffering exist?
Problem of Evil-Logical Problem
The logical inconsistency between God’s attributes and the existence of evil. If God knows about suffering but can’t stop it, God isn’t omnipotent. If God can stop it but doesn’t know about it, God isn’t omniscient. If God knows and can stop it but doesn’t want to, God isn’t omnibenevolent.
Problem of Evil-Evidential Problem
The sheer amount and intensity of suffering make it unlikely that an all-good God exists.
Free Will
Do we have genuine choice, or are all our actions predetermined?
Free Will-Free Will
The view that humans have free will and are not determined by prior causes. Because we choose freely, we are responsible for our decisions.
Free Will-Determinism
The view that all events, including human actions, are predetermined by prior causes and natural laws. According to this view, people’s actions, although accompanied by a feeling of freedom, are not in fact free.
