A | ||
10 | A posteriori necessary | knowing what has to be, by means of experience |
20 | A priori analytic | a priori knowledge comes from the meanings of words |
19 | A priori as necessities | a priori knowledge is an insight into necessary truths |
7 | A priori as subjective | a priori knowledge is the product of individual minds- |
6 | A priori contingent | knowing what happens to be, just through thought |
11 | A priori denied | there is no possibility of real knowledge a priori |
15 | A priori from concepts | a priori knowledge only arises from our concepts |
6 | A priori from convention | a priori knowledge simply reports our social consensus |
22 | A priori knowledge | nature of knowledge acquired by pure thought |
22 | A priori necessary | knowing what must be, just through thought |
26 | A priori synthetic | a priori knowledge which refers to the external world |
7 | A priori, pure | a priori knowledge as the produce of pure reason |
33 | Abortion | attitudes to terminating a life before birth |
26 | Abstract / concrete | general ideas about the abstract/concrete border |
13 | Abstract existence | existing non-causally and outside space-time |
22 | Abstract thought | general concepts not about concrete objects |
5 | Abstracta by conflation | treating abstractions as actually sets or universals |
40 | Abstracta by equivalence | defining abstraction by the principle of equivalence |
2 | Abstracta by example | defining abstract entities by offering examples |
23 | Abstracta by ignoring | creating abstractions by ignoring some features |
7 | Abstracta by negation | defining abstractions by specifying what they are not |
24 | Abstracta by selection | mental acts which create abstract concepts |
7 | Abstracta problems | difficulties in understanding abstract objects |
17 | Abstracta, modern | examples amd principles of modern abstracta |
16 | Abstracta, nature of | what we should take abstract object to be |
5 | Abstracta, need for | why we might postulate non-physical objects |
26 | Abstraction by mind | singling out properties and parts of reality for special attention |
6 | Abstraction, levels of | possible degrees or levels of abstraction |
28 | Abstractionism critique | reasons to reject the abstractionist explanation |
6 | Acting on belief | action seen as a response to beliefs |
5 | Action as movement | treating actions as (mainly) bodily movements |
1 | Action as trying | action is the trying to do it, not the movement |
4 | Action cognitivism | intention to act is a relevant belief about the action |
6 | Action duration | fixing the start, duration and end of an action |
12 | Action theory | general ideas about the nature of action |
2 | Actions and events | relationship between actions and mere events |
5 | Ad Hominem fallacy | attacking an opponent's motives instead of their arguments |
12 | Adverbial theory of perception | qualities are not objects but ways in which a perception occurs |
22 | Aesthetic attitude | distinctive frame of mind in aesthetic experience |
9 | Aesthetics | general ideas about the study of art and beauty |
8 | Agent causation | agency as a distinctive type of natural causation |
10 | Agrippa's trilemma | all three justification structures look hopeless |
16 | Altruism | placing the concerns of others before one's self |
4 | Ambiguity | what double meanings show about language |
8 | Analogy arguments | attempting proof by comparison with similar cases |
10 | Analysis by division | dividing a concept into component parts |
13 | Analysis by logic | using logic as a tool for analysing concepts and truths |
19 | Analysis limitations | why analysis is trivial, limited or hopeless |
28 | Analysis of concepts | analysis concentrating on contents and source of concepts |
38 | Analysis of language | analysis focusing on formal or ordinary language |
8 | Analysis of preconditions | giving necessary and sufficient conditions for a truth or event |
17 | Analysis, nature of | strategy and value of breaking down ideas and reality |
7 | Analytic / synthetic | distinction between real assertion and the purely verbal |
17 | Analytic / synthetic critique | rejection of sharp distinction between real and verbal assertion |
20 | Analytic propositions | propositions that just seem to be about words |
12 | Analytic truths | propositions that are true simply because of their words |
15 | Anarchism | self-rule by citizens, and abolition of government |
7 | Ancient thought, historical | landmarks in Greek thought, and other early cultures |
7 | and | role of 'and' in systems of logic |
5 | Angels | the nature of angels in theology and metaphysics |
18 | Angst | life permeated by insecurities and meaninglessness |
12 | Animal minds | whether animals have consciousness and reason |
33 | Animal rights | society's attitude to how animals are treated |
2 | Animal souls | whether any animals have immortal souls |
3 | Animism | belief that many spirits inhabit parts of nature |
7 | Anomalies in science | observations which contradict current theories |
13 | Anomalous monism | mind is a causal oddity in a physical world |
12 | Anti-individualism | individuation of minds must also refer to externals |
1 | Anti-matter | mirror images of particles in normal matter |
9 | Antinomies of reason | major clashes in our understanding in Kantian thought |
36 | Anti-realism | either denial of external reality, or of its having knowable structure |
21 | Aporiai | conflicts of thought that baffled and provoked the Greeks |
9 | Argument | reasoning and persuasion in general |
10 | Arithmetic | logical operations with natural numbers |
2 | Arithmetic, 'Baby' | a very simple axiomatisation of arithmetic, to show basics |
21 | Arithmetic, its incompleteness | discovery that axioms can't prove all truths of arithmetic |
2 | Arithmetic, Robinson | an intermediate axiomatisation of arithmetic, to show basics |
39 | Art and morality | relationship between moral and aesthetic values |
8 | Art and objectivism | possibility that aesthetic judgements can be true |
19 | Art as expression | personal expression is the essence of art |
10 | Art as form | form is the essence of works of art |
2 | Art as imitation | imitation is the essence of works of art |
8 | Art as Institution | art only makes sense within a social institution |
4 | Art as language | art is best understood as a language |
10 | Art defined | possibility of a general definition of art |
9 | Art, its ontology | in what sense varies types of art actually exist |
14 | Art, its value | value of art for individuals and in society |
11 | Artefact essence | essence of objects made by creatures |
11 | Artificial intelligence | possibility of building thinking/conscious machine |
4 | Artistic copies | relative nature and value of copies of artworks |
6 | Artistic emotion | role of feelings in artists, works and audiences |
15 | Artistic intentions | status of an artist's intentions in aesthetics |
4 | Artistic representation | nature of representation of reality in the arts |
4 | Assertion | stating something while claiming it is true |
19 | Associationism | knowledge built by ideas forming links in the mind |
35 | Atheism | denial of the existence of any gods |
40 | Atomism | lowest level of matter is tiny indivisible parts |
29 | Authentic self | changing one's self into something more genuine |
4 | Authority, its value | someone who creates trust by enforcing contracts |
3 | Authority, natural | power derived from natural superiority or strength |
6 | Autocracy | government controlled by a single person |
1 | Awareness logic | logic that adds awareness to the logic of knowledge |
31 | Axiomatisation | giving basic truths from which some system is deduced |
B | ||
25 | Barcan formula | formula relating possibility to existence |
11 | Basic substances | proposals for one basic substance in nature |
42 | Basis of justice | grounds for correcting unfairness in society |
19 | Bayes's theorem | equation showing probability of an inductive truth |
33 | Beauty | beauty as a quality in minds and objects |
14 | Beauty in nature | beauty in people, life and landscape |
11 | Becoming | transition from being to existence |
11 | Beginning, the | first moment of the universe |
13 | Behaviour, potential | mind as a collection of dispositions to behave |
7 | Behaviourism | mind is no more than the sum of behaviour |
25 | Behaviourism critique | reasons why behaviourism is false |
28 | Being | the nature of pure being |
4 | Being and existence | contrast between being and actual existence |
9 | Being and nothing | how being and nothingness relate |
16 | Being as particular | being as only found in substances or particulars |
10 | Being deflated | denial that much of interest can be said about being |
15 | Being, primary | concept of a mode of being prior to all others |
5 | Belief control | controlling external factors to produce beliefs |
9 | Belief holism | the context required for beliefs |
15 | Belief, cause of | what triggers beliefs |
28 | Beliefs | mental state aiming at truth (Gk. doxa) |
4 | Beliefs in animals | whether animals believe things |
15 | Beliefs, basic | contents and origin of foundational beliefs |
10 | Beliefs, elements of | the components that make up beliefs |
26 | Beliefs, their aims | the purpose or aim of beliefs |
5 | Benefit | goodness is whatever brings benefit |
4 | Bible, the | authority of the main Christian texts |
10 | Biological ethics | ethics derived from needs of evolution |
3 | Biology | scientific study of living things |
18 | Bivalence in reason | propositions can only be true or false |
2 | Black holes | collapsed stars emitting no light |
7 | Blindsight | evidence of perception without consciousness |
30 | Boredom | there seems to be nothing worth doing |
16 | Brain, the | philosophically interesting features of the brain |
39 | Broad content | meanings aren't in the head ('Externalism') |
12 | Buddhism | attempt to rise to a pure life by elimination of desire |
C | ||
13 | Caesar problem | explain why Julius Caesar can't be a number |
38 | Capitalism | society driven by private production and profit |
8 | Cardinal numbers | numbers relating to total rather than position |
8 | Cat and its tail | objects contained within other objects |
27 | Categorical Imperative | seeing a universal rule as an inescapable duty |
21 | Categories | general ideas about how to group what exists |
6 | Categories of understanding | mind imposes some categories onto possible experience |
23 | Categories, proposed | actual suggestions for structure of categories |
18 | Categorisation | how the mind approaches putting things into categories |
18 | Category anti-Realism | belief that our categories can't or don't map reality |
11 | Category mistakes | overview of confusions in attributions to things |
1 | Category mistakes, ontological | category mistakes as result of misunderstanding reality |
5 | Category mistakes, pragmatic | category mistakes as result of confusions in a context |
11 | Category mistakes, semantic | category mistakes as result of confusions of meaning |
5 | Category mistakes, syntactic | category mistakes as result of syntax errors |
11 | Category realism | belief that our categories can or do map reality |
13 | Causal argument | claim that mental causation requires physicalism |
32 | Causation | general comments on the nature of causation |
6 | Causation perceived | instant assumption of causal relations in perception |
5 | Causation, as primitive | causation is an unanalysable basis of nature |
31 | Causation, by necessity | causation as necessitated by nature |
19 | Causation, conditions of | analysis of situation that leads to an event |
24 | Causation, constant conjunction | causation as a regular link between event-types |
37 | Causation, counterfactual | causes explained in terms of alternative events |
19 | Causation, eliminating it | scepticism about the whole idea of causation |
19 | Causation, its direction | explain the past-to-future direction of causes |
28 | Causation, naturalised | causation explained in terms of natural phenomena |
22 | Causation, nomological | causes as aspects of lawlike behaviour |
11 | Causation, observation of | extent of the observability of a cause |
10 | Causation, probabilistic | causation in terms of probable consequences |
41 | Causation, relata | categories of item connected by causation |
5 | Cause, final | Greek view of ultimate aim as the cause |
14 | Cause, selecting the | naming 'the' cause among the pre-condtions of events |
21 | Cause, types of | categories of links between successive events |
9 | Causing death | moral issues about terminating a life |
5 | Centralisation, political | increasing control by a dominant group |
34 | Certainty | possibility or necessity of certainty in knowledge |
7 | Certainty, common sense | 'Moorean' certainty, that direct experience trumps any argument |
10 | Chance | facts that seem to have no particular cause |
29 | Change | how existence can persist even when becoming different |
46 | Character | concern with good persons, rather than actions |
21 | Charity, principle of | assume people aim to speak truth |
20 | Chemistry | general ideas about behaviour of molecules |
11 | Chinese Room | counterexample of non-conscious function |
36 | Christianity | general ideas about the Christian religion |
5 | Chromodynamics | general principles of the strong nuclear force |
42 | Chronology, ancient | events in philosophy up to 642 CE |
16 | Chronology, earlier European | events in philosophy from 643 CE to 1600 |
27 | Chronology, later European | events in philosophy from 1601 to 1878 |
33 | Chronology, modern philosophy | events in philosophy since 1879 |
8 | Circularity in reason | line of reasoning which just leads back to its start |
38 | Citizenship | qualifications, duties and rights of a citizen |
4 | Closure of physics | laws of physics can give a complete account of everything |
32 | Cogito critique | objections to the necessary existence of a thinker |
30 | Cogito, the | Descartes' claim that his own existence is self-evidently and necessary |
24 | Coherence | principles of mutual support between propositions |
23 | Coherence truth | truth is when propositions effectively fit together |
8 | Coherence truth critiique | criticism of the coherence theory of truth |
10 | Coincident objects | two objects that ompletely overlap |
10 | Commensurability in science | possibility of comparison between theories |
5 | Commitment by predicates | ontological commitment of predication |
9 | Commitment by quantifiers | ontological commitment of 'all' or 'some' |
21 | Commitment in ontology | nature of existence commitments |
17 | Commitment in ontology problems | troubles with theories of commitment |
11 | Commitment of theories | ontological commitment of serious theories |
9 | Common Sense | everyday thought, treated with respect |
36 | Communism | strong control to achieve equality and good lives |
35 | Communitarianism | nature of politic systems based on community |
13 | Communitarianism, against | reasons against over-emphasis of community |
17 | Compactness in logic | satisfaction by satisfying the finite subsets |
20 | Compassion as virtue | sympathetic concern for others' pain |
12 | Compatibilism | free will is possible in a deterministic worlc |
14 | Completeness in logic | all the truths of a system are formally deducible |
2 | Complex numbers | numbers built from square root of -1 |
23 | Composition of objects | objects seen as made up of their parts |
16 | Compositionality | sentence meaning as built up from its components |
12 | Conatus/Striving | basic inbuilt drive for survival and self-benefit |
26 | Conceivable as possible | if conceivable then it is possible |
10 | Conceivable but impossible | seems conceivable when not actually possible |
28 | Concepts | general ideas about concepts |
7 | Concepts and language | general ideas on the relation of concepts and language |
5 | Concepts are linguistic | claim that without language there are no concepts |
18 | Concepts as abilities | concepts as abilities to believe, decide and reason |
5 | Concepts as family resemblance | concepts cover groups which loosely resemble |
22 | Concepts as prototypes | concepts as built around typical examples of things |
8 | Concepts as representations | concepts as mental states representing reality |
10 | Concepts from exemplars | groups of similar observations generate concepts |
5 | Concepts in philosophy | how philosophers tend to see concepts |
6 | Concepts in psychology | how psychologists tend to see concepts |
4 | Concepts without language | possibility of non-linguistic concepts |
10 | Concepts, analysis of | possibility of breaking a concept down into elements |
14 | Concepts, classical | concepts as necessary and sufficient conditions of groups |
9 | Concepts, empirical | concepts as derived most from experience |
20 | Concepts, Fregean | concepts as meanings, distinct from a word's reference |
15 | Concepts, nativist | concepts as innate or native ingredients of minds |
12 | Concepts, origin of | general ideas on the origin of mental concepts |
16 | Concepts, theory theory of | concepts as components of our theories of reality |
4 | Conceptual atomism | concepts are atomic, and have no internal structure |
4 | Conceptual dualism of mind | there is one substance, but our concepts are dualist |
4 | Conceptual priority | how concepts depend upon one another |
9 | Conceptual structure | whether concepts have structure or are atomic |
8 | Conceptualism in mathematics | maths is just a set of human concepts in minds |
11 | Conditionals | general ideas about conditionals |
15 | Conditionals, non-truth-functional | conditional truth adding to the components |
6 | Conditionals, pragmatics of | practical conventions for uttering conditional statements |
6 | Conditionals, suppositional | conditionals only interested in true antecedents |
25 | Conditionals, truth-functional | conditional truth based entirely on components |
6 | Conditionals, types of | ways to categorise types of conditionals |
1 | Confucianism | traditional Chinese set of rules for living |
14 | Connectionism of mind | mind is the sum of many associations/connections |
31 | Connectives in logic | general role and status of logical connectives |
3 | Connectives, basic | minimal connectives needed for a logic system |
21 | Consciousness | general ideas about consciousness |
18 | Consciousness, cause of | what causes minds to be conscious |
12 | Consciousness, its essence | the defining aspect of being conscious |
7 | Consciousness, parts of | different parts of a conscious mind |
12 | Consciousness, purpose of | reasons why our minds are conscious |
6 | Consequence types | different modes of logical consequence |
7 | Consequence, deductive |- | following from a formula in proof-theory |
16 | Consequence, semantic |= | fitting with the truth of some formulae |
34 | Consequentialism | only good consequences matter in morality |
13 | Conservatism | government based on cultural tradition and stability |
3 | Consilience | convergence of widening explanations |
10 | Consistency in logic | a set of sentences are held to be simultaneously true |
2 | Constants in logic | terms, such as names, which have a fixed value |
21 | Constitution of objects | objects should be understood as what they are made of |
16 | Constructivism in mathematics | maths is entirely created by the human mind |
13 | Contemplation as virtue | pure thought as a possible virtue |
26 | Content | how minds internally represent reality |
10 | Contextual meaning | aspects of meaning which are decided by context |
3 | Contiguity perception | linking memories by the same time or same place |
19 | Continental philosophy | key shared characteristics of continental modern philosophy |
10 | Contingency | facts which could be otherwise |
15 | Continuum hypothesis | denial of a cardinality between naturals are reals |
8 | Contract strategies | subtle ways of getting what you want from people |
25 | Contractarianism | morality as doing favours in order to receive them |
4 | Contractualism | morality is being able to give good reasons |
5 | Contradiction in logic | when two statements are in logical conflict |
9 | Contraries | could both be false, but can't both be true |
8 | Conventionalism in logic | logic is just a set of rules and concepts agreed by people |
7 | Corpuscles | matter is just collections of smaller parts |
13 | Correspondence to facts | how things are, independently of thought |
35 | Correspondence truth | truth is a successful match between mental states and reality |
28 | Correspondence truth critique | criticism of the correspondence theory of truth |
21 | Cosmological proof of God | existence of nature proves God exists |
16 | Cosmology | origins and nature of the universe |
10 | Counterfactual claims | laws as involving claims about other possible worlds |
23 | Counterfactuals | facts in worlds different from the actual world |
31 | Counterpart identity | there are only closely resembling possible entities |
32 | Counting procedure | procedure for finding the size of a group of things |
12 | Counting via concepts | grouping by concept for counting |
8 | Counting via correlation | matching items together for counting |
15 | Courage as virtue | virtuous resistance to fear and danger |
34 | Criterion for existence | what is the hallmark for deciding what exists? |
3 | Critical theory | social theories aiming at awareness of their own context |
12 | Cultural relativism | role of culture in shaping individual knowledge |
12 | Culture | customs, values and habits of citizens in society |
5 | Cyrenaic school | Greek school which made personal pleasure central |
D | ||
18 | Dasein | being as directly experienced by humanity |
14 | De re / de dicto modalities | modes of reality, or modes of statement about it |
28 | Death's value | significance of death for living people |
7 | Decidability in logic | are positive or negative answers always possible? |
11 | Deconstruction | wisdom can only draw attention to human presuppositions |
10 | Defeasibility | must justification ensure that nothing can defeat it? |
21 | Definite descriptions | descriptions which seem to pick out a unique item |
11 | Definition, against | pursuit of definition is hopeless or pointless |
19 | Definition, aims of | what a definition is trying to achieve |
23 | Definition, by genus / differentia | its class, and then its distinguishing feature |
14 | Definition, contextual | definition relying wholly on facts about context |
9 | Definition, impredicative | definition that doesn't introduce a new concept |
7 | Definition, ostensive | definition by pointing out one or more examples |
25 | Definition, real | give the true nature of something, not just a description |
2 | Definition, recursive | specify one item, and a rule to produce more of them |
4 | Definition, stipulative | definition by simply decreeing what a concept means |
11 | Definition, types of | whether there are different sorts of definition |
19 | Definitions | specifying one word by means of others |
5 | Deism | belief in a remote and detached God |
34 | Democracy | what democracy is |
13 | Democracy, against | reasons for doubting democratic politics |
9 | Democracy, direct | decisions are made by most of the population |
20 | Democracy, representative | the people chose a small group to govern |
23 | Democratic consultation | government's consultation, by plebiscite or election |
6 | Democratic minorities | rights of minorities in a democracy |
27 | Demonstration in science | proving physical facts by observation and reason |
10 | Denial | stating something while rejecting its truth |
5 | Denoting | the picking out of some specific thing |
24 | Deontology | moral theories centring on the idea of duty |
4 | Descriptions | general ideas about stating characteristics of objects |
25 | Descriptions, theory of definite | rewriting of descriptive terms to show underlying logic |
17 | Desire to act | desires and emotions as the main motivator of action |
1 | Desires | the raw desire for self-indulgence |
22 | Despotism | corrupt single leader who abuses a state |
30 | Determinism | natural causes have no room for free will |
5 | Devolution, political | dispersal of power to the people and regions |
37 | Dialectic | approaching truth by discussion and analysis |
3 | Difference principle | bias towards equality when designing a society |
12 | Dilemmas | situations with conflicting motives to act |
16 | Direct realism | we are in direct contact with reality |
3 | Disjunctivism | justification has separate internal and external components |
25 | Dispositions | idea of a disposition towards certain behaviour |
13 | Dispositions and powers | relation of dispositions to underlying active powers |
12 | Dispositions as conditional | dispositions understood as hypothetical behaviour |
11 | Dispositions as occurrent | dispositions only exist when behaviour occurs |
5 | Dispositions as potential | dispositions as potential states for possible behaviour |
17 | Divine contradictions | contradictions in our concept of a supreme being |
15 | Divine moral decree | God as the authority behind morality |
11 | Divine morality | general ideas on God and morality |
42 | Divine nature | characteristics of a supreme being |
21 | Divine perfections | existence of good qualities in their purest form |
16 | Domain of quantification | specifying the objects from which quantifiers select |
14 | Double effect | assessing effects against side effects of an act |
22 | Dualism of mind | mind and matter are two quite different substances |
32 | Dualism of mind critique | view that dualism is impossible or incorrect |
6 | Dualist religion | religions based on two opposed gods |
44 | Duty | nature of duty and its underpinnings |
1 | Dynamic logics | logic that allows for changes in objects and properties |
E | ||
3 | Ecology | human life as part of the Earth's whole biosphere |
18 | Education principles | principles and values in educating the young |
14 | Educational aims | what educators should try to achieve |
13 | Electrodynamics | general principles of electromagnetism |
11 | Electrons | particle constituting the shells of atoms |
2 | Electro-weak unity | unifying the weak and electromagnetic forces |
29 | Elements, ancient | early theories of basic components of matter |
9 | Elements, modern | 92 natural elements, and some further ones |
8 | Elenchus | Socrates' use of interrogation for philosophy |
19 | Eliminativism of mind | there is no such thing as mind, only the brain |
23 | Elite rulers | rule of a small group, by talent, birth or wealth |
9 | Emergentism of mind | mind as a product of complex matter |
7 | Emotion as feeling | phenomenal experience of emotions |
11 | Emotions and reason | relationship between emotions and reason |
12 | Emotions, basic | attempts to pick out key emotions |
13 | Emotions, controlling | limits and ways of controlling emotions |
17 | Emotions, nature of | essential nature of an emotion |
20 | Emotions, role of | role played by emotion in mental life |
5 | Emotions, types of | attempts to categorise emotions |
37 | Empirical arithmetic | the view that mathematics is rooted in experience |
19 | Empirical arithmetic, against | denials that mathematics is rooted in experience |
38 | Empiricism | knowledge is essentially derived from experience |
38 | Empiricism, critique | rejection of knowledge arising just from experience |
20 | Empiricism, in favour | reasons for favouring the empirical view of knowledge |
9 | Energy | universal physical stuff involved in all actions |
6 | Energy, conservation of | energy cannot be created or destroyed |
2 | Entailment in reason | if P is true then Q has to be true |
6 | Entropy | inevitable gradual dispersal of universal energy |
10 | Enumerability in logic | whether all formulae in a system can be specified |
13 | Epiphenomenalism of mind | mind as by-product of matter, having no effect |
3 | Epistemic logic | Inferences between known and believed propositions |
10 | Epistemic virtues | values and qualities need for good justification |
7 | Epistemology naturalised | justification is the mechanics of successful belief-formation |
25 | Equality, economic | equality of wealth ansd earning ability |
39 | Equality, grounds of | reaons for viewing and treating people as equals |
4 | Equality, legal | equality of citizens before the law |
5 | Equality, natural | equalities implied merely by being human |
16 | Equality, political | equality of involvement in running society |
7 | Equivalence classes | classes created by close relationships of members |
6 | Eristic | argument as a competition rather than for truth |
9 | Error | how incorrect judgements occur |
22 | Essence and laws | relationship between essences and laws of nature |
33 | Essence and properties | essence consists of a set of properties |
14 | Essence as definition | essence as what figures in a successful definition |
21 | Essence as definition | essence just is the successful definition of a thing |
21 | Essence as explanation | essence is what intrinsically explains a thing |
21 | Essence as necessary properties | essence just is necessary properties |
24 | Essence for unity | essence is what unifies the parts of a thing |
22 | Essence not necessities | essence is different from necessary properties |
40 | Essence, individual | each individual has its own distinct essence |
29 | Essence, nominal | essence as derived from experiences of objects |
17 | Essence, types of | distinctions about how essence should be understood |
27 | Essences of objects | idea that objects have essences, as well as other features |
19 | Essences, knowledge of | how we might know the essence of an object |
15 | Essences, knowledge of | whether we can know essences, and if so, how |
7 | Essential parts | parts of objects seen as essential to it |
34 | Essentialism critique | reasons to deny the existence of 'essences' |
9 | Essentials are necessary | what is essential is also necessary |
10 | Eternal recurrence | implications of having to live the same life over and over |
7 | Ethical cognitivism | there is objective knowledge to be had about ethics |
25 | Ethical egoism | view that people should put themselves first |
10 | Ethical non-cognitivism | there is no objective knowledge about ethics |
29 | Ethical theory | the need for, and value of, formal ethical systems |
15 | Ethics defined | can we specify exactly what ethics is? |
11 | Ethics from ideals | ethics deriving from a few simple lofty concepts |
11 | Ethics from nature | stoic view of learning how to live from nature |
33 | Ethics from reason | pure reason produces ethical values and principles |
9 | Ethics, preconditions for | what is needed to created an ethical system? |
8 | Ethics, purpose of | why do we have systems of ethics? |
7 | European thought, early | landmarks of general European thought, 600 CE - 1600 |
13 | European thought, later | landmarks of general European thought, 1601 - 1878 |
11 | Euthanasia | attitudes to mercy-killing for the very ill |
20 | Euthyphro question | which comes first - morality or God(s)? |
17 | Events | what we should take events to consist of |
11 | Events as primitive | treating happenings as basic ingredients of existence |
19 | Events reduced | explaining happenings in terms of another mode of existence |
17 | Evidence | experiences and facts pointing towards knowledge |
9 | Evidentialism | justification entirely concerns strength of evidence |
9 | Evil | value opposed to what is good |
21 | Evil, problem of | reasons for the existence of evil |
23 | Evolution | theory that life results from natural selection |
28 | Excluded middle | propositions must be either true or false |
10 | Existence and essence | natures as either malleable or fixed in character |
18 | Existence types | whether there is more than one type of existence |
21 | Existence, nature of | what it means for things to exist |
18 | Existence, reason for | why do things (or anything at all) exist? |
17 | Existential action | existentialist attitude to decisions and ethics |
25 | Existentialism | key to life is freedom and self-creation |
15 | Experiment in science | deliberate isolation of one cause or effect |
3 | Explaining people | modes of explanation needed for human behaviour |
18 | Explanation | general ideas about the concept of explanation |
26 | Explanation aims | what explanations are trying to achieve |
9 | Explanation as pragmatic | explanation as entirely related to human curiosity |
33 | Explanation by causes | explanation as showing the causes of events |
14 | Explanation by coherence | explanation by showing how it fits into other beliefs |
4 | Explanation by contrasts | using contrasting foil to home in on explanation |
35 | Explanation by essence | explaining by showing hidden natures in things |
4 | Explanation by function | explanation as showing a function or purpose |
35 | Explanation by laws | explain events by showing laws imply them |
32 | Explanation by mechanism | explanation by revealing underlying mechanisms |
7 | Explanation by probability | explain by showing what increases probabilities |
5 | Explanation by proof | proofs which also reveal why something is true |
14 | Explanation by reduction | explaining by reveal grounding or foundations |
2 | Explanation rejected | rejection of the whole idea that we 'explain' things |
26 | Explanation, best | aim of picking the best from among explanations |
11 | Explanation, best, critique | rejection of the possibility of 'best' explanations |
34 | Explanation, types of | picking out different styles of explanation |
12 | Explanation, ultimate | possibility of completely explaining anything |
6 | Explanation's direction | why one of two related things is the explainer |
5 | Explanatory gap | no prospect of fully explaining mind via brain |
2 | Expressibility in logic | limits of what can be said in a logical language |
30 | Expressivism in ethics | morality is just an expression of feelings |
8 | Extensional semantics | giving meaning by specifying which objects the meaning includes |
5 | Extensionalism in logic | semantic system built on reference to objects |
8 | External goods | role of luck and possessions in the good life |
7 | External justification, against | critiques of the external approach to justification |
F | ||
21 | Facts | general ideas about facts |
6 | Facts and truths | how facts relate to true sentences |
4 | Facts rejected | denial of such things as objective 'facts' |
6 | Facts, negative | whether denials and absences can be facts |
12 | Facts, types of | possible different types of fact |
20 | Faculties of mind | theory that each distinct capacity has a specific source |
8 | Fallacy | distinctive types of recurrent error in human reasoning |
5 | Fallacy of composition | attributing the properties of members to the set as a whole |
1 | Fallacy of division | attributing to whole set's properties to one of its members |
13 | Fallibilism in knowledge | beliefs can counts as knowledge even if they are not certain |
8 | Falsehood | how to understand failures to be true |
21 | Falsification in science | establishing that a fact or theory is not true |
12 | Fate | our own efforts are made pointless by determinism |
12 | Feminism | giving women a full role in government and society |
11 | Fictional mathematics | mathematics is purely invented, and is not true |
12 | Fictionalism | much of ontology is actually convenient fictions we create |
12 | Fideism | belief based on faith, without rational argument |
14 | Fields, in physics | foundational background containing particles |
10 | Fine deeds | actions which are intrinsically admirable |
2 | Fine-tuned universe | constants of nature having fruitful values |
5 | Finitism in mathematics | true mathematics only concerns finite quantities |
19 | Folk psychology | is the truth about minds found in normal speech? |
25 | Force | attractions and repulsions in physical nature |
8 | Form as causal | form as the source of an object's causal powers |
8 | Form as principle | form as the guiding principle of an object |
11 | Form as unifier | form as what bestows unity on an object |
24 | Formalism in mathematics | maths is the consequences of a set of symbols |
16 | Foundationalism | claim that knowledge foundations are possible |
18 | Foundationalism, critique | criticisms of existence of foundational beliefs |
6 | Foundationalism, in favour | support for existence of foundational beliefs |
11 | Foundations, empirical | experience is the foundation for knowledge |
8 | Foundations, rational | reson is the foundation for knowledge |
8 | Free logic | logic with no existence commitment for the quantifiers |
6 | Free rider problem | one who achieves maximum success by breaking contracts |
7 | Free will constraints | even if the will is free, it is compelled in some ways |
20 | Free will sources | what makes free will in humans possible |
40 | Free will, against | reasons for doubting that free will is possible |
22 | Free will, for | defences of the existence of wills which are free |
30 | Free will, its nature | what exactly a free will is understood to be |
6 | Freedom of belief | allowing citizens to form their beliefs individually |
40 | Freedom of lifestyle | extent to which citizens can live as they wish |
10 | Freedom of market | extent to which citizens can feely trade |
16 | Freedom of speech | extent to which opinions can be freely expressed |
2 | Freedom to leave | right to cease being the citizen of a state |
8 | Freedom, natural | freedoms implied merely by being human |
8 | Freedom, political | ability to participate in government of society |
17 | Fregean semantics | giving meaning in the manner laid out by Gottlob Frege |
22 | Friendship as virtue | close personal relationships as a virtue |
9 | Function for value | functioning well as a source of value |
18 | Functionalism critique | criticisms of the functionalist theory of mind |
22 | Functionalism of mind | mind is a causal network of functions |
7 | Functionalism, causal | mental states are defined in entirely causal terms |
4 | Functionalism, homuncular | mind as a team of small independent functional units |
9 | Functionalism, machine | mind is in principle a Turing machine |
2 | Functionalism, psycho- | minds exist as the result of brain function |
5 | Functionalism, teleological | mind as a set of interlocking purposeful functions |
13 | Functions in logic | elements in logical systems to create new objects |
2 | Fundamental types | types of thing which might be foundations for reality |
3 | Fundamentals in ontology | a possible bottom level for the structure of existence |
4 | Fuzzy logic | logic using infinite gradations between true and false |
G | ||
3 | Game theory | analysis and maths of relationship strategies |
33 | General will | consensus among citizens that justifies a state |
32 | Generalisation by mind | uniting similarities in reality into single propositions |
31 | Geometry | study of relationships of lines, points, and shapes |
21 | Geometry axioms | formal starting points for deriving geometry |
13 | Gettier problem | mere true justified belief doesn't ensure knowledge |
9 | God | existence and role of a supreme being |
9 | God and time | relationship between God, time and eternity |
14 | God is the good | view of morality as identical with God |
18 | God reflects humanity | God as a projection of humanity's own image |
15 | Golden rule in ethics | treat others as you would like to be treated |
6 | Good as knowledge | goodness is intelligence and knowledge |
16 | Good as pleasure | pleasure is the main good in life |
6 | Good as virtue | goodness is is excellent of character and behaviour |
26 | Good, Form of | goodness as a perfect and eternal idea |
19 | Good, types of | candidates for what is supremely good |
11 | Government | group who control a society |
5 | Government, executive | part of government which administers laws |
3 | Government, legislative | part of government which creates the laws |
2 | Government, size of | size of government in relation to the people |
5 | Gravity | weak long-range force attracting objects |
77 | Greek-English lexicon | English versions of key Greek philosophical terms |
6 | Green politics | focus on global issues concerning the environment |
8 | Grounding and explanation | how grounding relates to explanations |
2 | Grounding and reduction | how grounding relates to reductive accounts |
25 | Grounding, its nature | how we should understand the grounding relation |
8 | Grounding, relata of | what items are related in a grounding? |
20 | Grue problem | problem of a predicate which changes over time |
H | ||
16 | Haecceitism | indistinguishable worlds might still have different objects |
21 | Haecceity | a special property marking a thing's uniqueness |
15 | Happiness as eudaimonia | Greek concept of fulfilment/happiness/flourishing |
18 | Happiness, nature of | what is the intrinsic nature of happiness? |
33 | Happiness, route to | how can happiness be achieved? |
14 | Happiness, value of | how important is happiness? |
11 | Health | successful functioning of an organ or creature |
2 | Health as virtue | health as a natural good, and part of happiness |
3 | Heat | energy level resulting from molecular movement |
13 | Heaven | good place where good souls go as a reward |
9 | Hedonism | central aim of life being individual pleasure |
4 | Hell | bad place where bad souls go as a punishment |
4 | Heresy | contradictions of orthodox Christian doctrine |
15 | Hermeneutics | seeking rhetorical explanation instead of hard facts |
16 | Higher-order thought | consciousness as higher levels of thinking |
8 | Hinduism | Indian polytheism, including reincarnation |
11 | History of ideas | history of human ideas and their relation to cultures |
20 | History, study of | ideas about the study and teaching of history |
11 | Honour as virtue | high public esteem as a virtue |
23 | Human distinctiveness | what distinguishes humanity from other animals |
4 | Human error | possible explanations of why human error is possible |
7 | Human evil | possible explanations of why human evil exists |
59 | Human nature | human nature as source of good and bad |
7 | Human thought | what is distinctive about the way humans think |
8 | Humean supervenience | everything supervenes on some simple base |
19 | Hume's Principle | view that one-one correspondence is basis of numbers |
15 | Humour | explaining the nature and sources of what is funny |
30 | Hylomorphism | general ideas about form specifying matter |
I | ||
7 | I, reference of the word | what the word 'I' is taken to refer to |
10 | Idealisation | simplifiying experiences to make them precise and clear |
19 | Idealism | general thoughs about reality as ideas |
38 | Idealism, Absolute | reality is an ultimate unity of all ideas |
15 | Idealism, empirical | we are trapped inside our own experiences |
23 | Idealism, transcendental | reality exists with our cognitive structure |
18 | Ideas | mental events which internally represent reality |
33 | Identity | how we should understand the idea of identity |
21 | Identity between objects | two objects turning out to be one object |
14 | Identity defined | whether identity can be defined - and how |
16 | Identity in logic | logical assertions that that two objects are identical |
3 | Identity over time, denial of | objects are never strictly the same over time |
18 | Identity, relative | identity can only ever be in respect of some feature |
13 | If-thenism | logic is only inference without commitment to initial truths |
13 | Imagination | forming mental pictures, esp counterfactuals |
36 | Immortality | survival of the human soul after death |
11 | Implicature in conversation | unspoken rules of normal conversation |
7 | Impossibility | negative necessity - what never could be the case |
8 | Impossible worlds | possible worlds which contain contradictions |
10 | Incompleteness in logic | some truths of a system evade formal proof |
19 | Indeterminacy of translation | full translation may be a logical impossibility |
15 | Indexical semantics | giving meanings for terms that obviously depend on context |
19 | Indexical thought | thought which depends on a particular perspective |
38 | Indiscernible objects | objects between which no differences are detectable |
17 | Indispensability of mathematics | maths as a necessity for empirical investigation |
40 | Individuation by kind | picking out things by giving their kind |
12 | Individuation by location | picking out by location in spacetime |
11 | Individuation by properties | picking out by a unique set of properties |
37 | Individuation of objects | principles for picking out objects |
27 | Induction | obtaining general truth from many instances |
12 | Induction and reason | role of pure reason in inductive inference |
32 | Induction, its limits | why induction cannot justify generalised truths |
14 | Induction's aims | possible targets for inductive thinking |
6 | Infinite divisibility | endless dividing an interval between numbers |
4 | Infinite regress in reason | hopeless explanations which go on forever |
11 | Infinite, actual | treating an infinite collection as a complete thing |
5 | Infinite, potential | infinity as just not coming to an end |
26 | Infinite, the | the status and nature of infinity as a number |
9 | Infinitesimals | items too small to be measured |
14 | Infinity in nature | time or space or matter could be infinite |
10 | Infinity, cardinal | infinity as a collection of transcendent size |
1 | Infinity, countable | infinities that match up with the natural numbers |
3 | Infinity, mark of | what is distinctive about infinite numbers? |
9 | Infinity, ordinal | infinity as an unending ordered series |
5 | Infinity, uncountable | infinities beyond the bounds of natural numbers |
16 | Innate knowledge | knowledge that arise from within the mind |
3 | Inspiration | knowledge without evidence or reason |
14 | Instrumentalism in science | scientific truth is just what works in our theories |
31 | Intellectualism | all actions are guided entirely by reason |
2 | Intelligence | reasoning power of the mind |
5 | Intension | way a set of things is conceived |
3 | Intensional logic | logic that includes meanings and concepts, as well as objects |
4 | Intensionalism in logic | semantic system built on reference to properties |
5 | Intention, types of | possible different types of intention |
4 | Intentional stance | mind as a fiction created to deal with behaviour |
23 | Intentionality theories | how can intentional states be explained? |
17 | Intentionality, nature of | what exactly is intentionality? |
6 | Intentions of groups | possibility of joint or group intentions |
4 | Intentions reduced | explaining intentions by more basic ingredients |
17 | Intentions, nature of | intrinsic nature of a decisive mental state |
18 | Interactionism of mind | mind and matter mutually affect one another |
8 | Intermittent objects | objects which cease, and then return to existence |
16 | Introspection | learning about our minds by looking inwards |
5 | Introspection errors | misleading information that can come from introspection |
23 | Introspection limits | what may be unknowable by introspection |
26 | Intuition | direct awareness of knowledge |
31 | Intuitionism in ethics | we have an in-built morality detector |
18 | Intuitionism in mathematics | maths is built from intuitions and proofs |
15 | Intuitionist logic | logic which uses 'provable' in place of 'true' |
10 | Invariant knowledge | denial that standards of knowledge vary with context |
8 | Inverted qualia | one stimulus causing opposite experiences |
8 | Islam | worship one God, with Mohammed as prophet |
13 | Isomorphisms in logic | ways in which two models or theories map together |
15 | Iterative conception of sets | sets as a well-founded hierarchy built from scratch |
J | ||
15 | Judaism | followers of one god with a chosen people |
20 | Judgement, nature of | how we evaluate truth and falsehood |
30 | Justice as virtue | correct behaviour towards other people |
31 | Justification as coherence | proposal that coherent support creates knowledge |
23 | Justification as coherence critique | criticisms of the coherentist view |
18 | Justification as coherence, pro- | reasons in favour of the coherentist view |
18 | Justification by testimony | role of reports and beliefs of other people in justification |
15 | Justification issues | areas of interest concerning justification |
1 | Justification logics | logic that adds reasons for belief to the logic of knowledge |
12 | Justification requirement | why knowledge needs justification |
14 | Justification, causal | justification needs a causal link from facts to beliefs |
18 | Justification, contextual | defence of context as vital to knowledge claims |
20 | Justification, external | general issues about external justification |
8 | Justification, pragmatic | justification guided by practical needs and action |
5 | Justification, pro-external | reasons to favour externalist justifcation |
24 | Justification, pro-internal | reasons to favour internalist justifcation |
14 | Justification, reliabilism | reliability that is needed for secure knowledge |
9 | Justification, social | justification entirely concerns social consensus |
K | ||
7 | Knowing how | having a skill which may be inarticulate |
39 | Knowledge | situation of holding a set of reliable true beliefs |
7 | Knowledge argument | qualia knowledge goes beyond physical knowledge |
4 | Knowledge as convention | knowledge is just social convention (Gk. nomos) |
17 | Knowledge closure | are known implications of knowledge also known? |
11 | Knowledge first | knowledge is a basic concept, not to be analysed |
5 | Knowledge seeks truth | sole aim of knowledge is awareness of the truth |
9 | Knowledge, value of | importance and need for knowledge in humans |
L | ||
16 | Language holism | meaning always involves an entire language |
19 | Language of thought | brains have an in-built private language ('Mentalese') |
7 | Language relativism | role of language in shaping human knowledge |
17 | Law | the system used by a government to enforce laws |
22 | Law, natural | laws arising from the natural state of mankind |
12 | Law, rule of | the law has ultimate authority in the state |
8 | Laws and generalities | differences between general truths and real laws |
6 | Laws as numerical | laws of nature expressed just in numerical terms |
13 | Laws from universals | laws seen as necessary relations between universals |
40 | Laws of nature | nature and status of the regularities of nature |
24 | Laws of nature, against | rejection of the very idea that there are 'laws' of nature |
17 | Laws of nature, best system | laws are the simplest axioms that describe patterns |
41 | Laws of nature, regularities | laws are merely patterns in physical events |
12 | Laws of nature, strictness | whether laws are necessary, or their truth is qualified |
9 | Laws of thought | basic axioms of human reason |
11 | Laws, types of | possibility divisions of laws of nature into types |
6 | Legal positivism | laws as mere human inventions of social rules |
18 | Leibniz's Law | identical objects must have identical features or truths |
10 | Liberal community | liberal attitude to groups, cultures and nations |
9 | Liberal equality | importance of equality with liberalism |
13 | Liberal freedom | importance of freedom with liberalism |
22 | Liberal individualism | individuals in a liberal society |
25 | Liberalism basics | founding ideas of liberal politics |
24 | Liberalism critique | difficulties for liberal theory |
21 | Life | what distinguishes life, and its value |
24 | Life, the natural | quality of human life in a state of nature |
10 | Life's value | how and why we might value life itself |
8 | Limitation of size | sets as only limited by vastness that gives problems |
6 | Limits | the conclusion of a converging series |
28 | Limits of reason | extent to which our reason can reveal truth |
5 | Linguistic structuralism | understanding mind and knowledge by studying linguistic structures |
11 | Literature | philosophical aspects of literature |
8 | Living naturally | stoic attitude that virtue is natural living |
27 | Logic, classical | system of logic accepted as the modern norm |
23 | Logic, first-order | logic where variables only refer to objects |
15 | Logic, history of | origins of the various systems of formal logic |
18 | Logic, pure | logic as a completely self-contained subject |
33 | Logic, second-order | logic extending variables to predicates and relations |
34 | Logic, the overview | broad views about different systems of logic |
23 | Logic, value of | relative importance of logic in life and reason |
24 | Logical atoms | reality built up from the smallest components of logic |
28 | Logical consequence | defining when one idea logically follows another |
36 | Logical form | structure of a sentence relevant to its logical role |
6 | Logical sets | sets whose membership is defined by a concept |
40 | Logicism, critique | objections to the logicism view of maths |
33 | Logicism, early versions | first developments of the logicist idea |
15 | Logicism, neo- | revival of logicism after much criticism |
20 | Logos | broad Greek concept of understanding or giving reasons |
56 | Love | role of the feeling of love in moral behaviour |
24 | Löwenheim-Skolem theorems | group of theorems about models involving infinities |
M | ||
7 | Many-valued logic | logic using further values in addition to 'true' and 'false' |
4 | Mass in physics | quantity of matter in a thing |
7 | Material implication | truth of P implies the truth of Q |
10 | Mathematical induction | rule to get from axioms to general mathematical truths |
8 | Mathematical logic | logic that is used in the practice of mathematics |
21 | Mathematical platonism, against | reasons for doubting the existence of maths entities |
34 | Mathematical platonism, for | reasons for believing maths entities exists |
30 | Mathematics | discovered or invented, within or outside nature |
11 | Mathematics by intuition | mathematics is knowable directly by pure reason |
15 | Mathematics foundations | existence of fundamentals as a basis for mathematics |
14 | Mathematics is not set theory | denial that mathematics is just set theory |
36 | Mathematics is set theory | Identification of mathematics with set theory |
11 | Mathematics, its application | explaining the physical world using mathematics |
8 | Matter as extension | matter is just whatever occupies a space |
13 | Matter of an object | underlying material which is formed into an object |
13 | Matter, ancient | early Greek views on basic solid stuff |
20 | Matter, concept of | concept of matter emerging in modern physics |
3 | Matter, dark | unknown matter that restrains cosmic expansion |
10 | Matter, early modern | general 17thC views on matter |
26 | Mean, the | virtues as appropriate route between evils |
30 | Meaning | how one thing can represent another thing |
15 | Meaning as mental | meanings are essentially mental events |
12 | Meaning by role | meaning is a role in a large network |
14 | Meanings denied | doubts about the whole idea of meaning |
9 | Means and ends | target values, and values in achieving them |
37 | Memory | memory as source and preserver of knowledge |
12 | Mental causation | way in which thought causes events |
24 | Mental files | mind is like a filing system, with labelled folders |
3 | Mereological groups | collections of individuals with a unifying concept |
27 | Mereological parts | what is involved in being part of something else |
22 | Mereological sums | the concept of parts treated as one concept |
45 | Mereological wholes | the idea of summed parts as a single entity |
23 | Mereology | formalised general theory of how parts relate to wholes |
9 | Mereology axioms | basic principles for reasoning about parts and wholes |
11 | Mereology terminology | technical vocabulary used in formal mereology |
14 | Metaphor | using falsehoods to enhance understanding |
36 | Metaphysical systems | building a full interconnected overview of metaphysics |
24 | Metaphysics as conceptual | metaphysics as study of our conceptual schemes |
25 | Metaphysics as science | metaphysics as physical science at the highest level |
20 | Metaphysics beyond science | metaphysics as transcending natural science |
14 | Metaphysics, against it | rejections of metaphysics as a worthwhile activity |
28 | Metaphysics, nature of | nature of the most abstract philosophy |
18 | Metaphysics, possibility of | possibility of abstract wisdom through pure thought |
9 | Mind | general ideas about the mind |
14 | Mind, features of | observing features of a mind |
25 | Mind, its unity | unified character of the thinking mind |
9 | Mind, location of | decided where the mind is located |
9 | Mind, purpose of | what minds are for |
10 | Mind, questions about | questions to be decided about the mind |
13 | Miracles | seeing unnatural events as proof of God's existence |
5 | Modal argument | surely mind-brain connections are necessary? |
18 | Modal logic | general ideas about the nature of modal logic |
15 | Modal logic derivation rules | rules which are allowed in various modal logics |
4 | Modal logic symbols | symbols which are distinctive of modal logic |
6 | Modal logic systems | issues concerning the varieties of modal logic |
6 | Modal logic terminology | definitions of the main concepts used in modal logic |
11 | Modal logic, alethic | inference from truths concerning necessity and possibility |
5 | Modal system B | version imposing two conditions on accessibility |
6 | Modal system D | version with guaranteed access to some world |
2 | Modal system K | modern simple version, on which others build |
1 | Modal system K4 | version imposing one condition on accessibility |
7 | Modal system S4 | version imposing two conditions on accessibility |
18 | Modal system S5 | strongest system, with three accessibility conditions |
4 | Modal system T | version imposing one condition on accessibility |
8 | Modalities | family of modalities that includes necessity and possibility |
15 | Modality from actuality | all modal facts are grounded in the actual facts |
35 | Models in logic | general features of logical models |
7 | Models in science | theoretical structures aimed at mapping reality |
14 | Modularity of mind | theory of separate units of the mind/brain |
9 | Modus ponens | rule that the entailment of a true formula is also true |
4 | Moments of existence | treating small units of time as among the things that exist |
24 | Monads | minimal purposeful units as basic to existence |
21 | Monarchy | hereditary or elected lifetime leader |
3 | Monotheism | view that there is just one god |
3 | Monotheistc religion | general idea that there can only be one god |
6 | Monotonicity in logic | if something is proved, nothing new can unprove it |
6 | Moral argument for God | proving God's existence from obvious morality |
9 | Moral luck | problem of unexpected moral outcomes |
29 | Morality as convention | morals as social rules, rather than private or true |
8 | Morality critique | objections to social codes of morality |
10 | Motion, laws of | basic principles constraining all movement |
9 | Motivation for altruism | reasons why other people's feelings matter |
19 | Motivation for duty | reasons why someone should want to do their duty |
33 | Movement | explaining why not all things are stationary |
10 | Multiculturalism | pluralist state which accepts varied cultures |
24 | Multiple realisability | lots of way to implement a thought |
5 | Multiverse | there exists a vast multitude of varied universes |
8 | Music | philosophical aspects of music |
13 | Mysterianism of mind | we are incapable of explaining the mind-body link |
N | ||
9 | Naïve conception of sets | sets as defined by absolutely any concept |
5 | Naïve realism | reality is just as it appears to be |
32 | Names | general ideas about how names function in sentences |
6 | Names eliminated | we can paraphrase names out of sentences entirely |
13 | Names with no object | name whose object does not exist |
33 | Names, descriptive | names imply information about the object |
22 | Names, referential | names do no more than pick out an object |
10 | Narrow content | meaning is inside the mind ('Internalism') |
11 | Nationalism | devotion to the state is the supreme political value |
12 | Natural evil | possible explanations of why natural disasters occur |
8 | Natural function | what components of nature are meant to do |
27 | Natural kind essence | essence as belonging to a particular natural kind |
20 | Natural kinds | general ideas about natural kinds |
12 | Natural kinds critique | objections to dividing nature into 'kinds' |
9 | Natural kinds defined | what exactly is a natural kind? |
7 | Natural kinds necessity | natural kinds in some way have to be as they are |
13 | Natural kinds reference | how language terms refer to natural kinds |
13 | Natural kinds source | what underlies the divisions of natural kinds |
9 | Natural kinds, knowing | how and how far we can know natural kinds |
6 | Natural numbers | the positive numbers used in counting |
9 | Naturalising reason | explaining reason as part of the natural world |
6 | Naturalism | there is nothing beyond what we call 'nature' |
34 | Nature | everything existing in known reality |
14 | Nature as mathematics | mathematics is the essence of reality |
3 | Necessity as primitive | necessities are self-justifying or self-evident |
11 | Necessity by convention | necessity comes from linguistic conventions |
13 | Necessity from concepts | necessity based on relations of concepts |
17 | Necessity from essence | necessity comes from the essence of actual things |
5 | Necessity in explanations | explanations as revealing necessities in events |
25 | Necessity in general | understanding the concept of necessity |
20 | Necessity, denial of | there is nothing necessary about the real world |
28 | Necessity, its sources | general views on what gives rise to necessity |
40 | Necessity, logical | necessity because of logic or definitions |
29 | Necessity, metaphysical | inescapable necessity as a feature of reality |
18 | Necessity, natural | necessary facts about the physical world |
1 | Necessity, normative | necessities of duty or ethical requirements |
6 | Necessity, transcendental | preconditions necessary for knowing the world |
26 | Necessity, types of | different ways in which things must be |
3 | Neutrinos | light unreactive particles pervading the universe |
20 | Nihilism | human life seems pointless and absurd |
17 | Nominalism in general | general ideas about nominalism |
5 | Nominalism in mathematics | denial of the real existence of mathematical objects |
17 | Nominalism, class | universals are classes of things |
6 | Nominalism, concept | universals are mental concepts |
5 | Nominalism, mereological | universals are wholes, though found in parts |
9 | Nominalism, of abstracta | denial of the real existence of abstract entities |
16 | Nominalism, of universals | denial of the real existence of universals |
13 | Nominalism, predicate | unversals are really just linguistic predicates |
23 | Nominalism, resemblance | universals are groups of resembling particulars |
13 | Non-being | non-being as the concept contrasting with being |
2 | Nonclassical logics | general ideas about logics which depart from standard logic |
22 | Non-contradiction | a proposition is claimed to be both true and false |
6 | Non-monotonic logic | logic that adjust its proofs when new premisses are added |
8 | Normativity | what ought to be true as an aspect of nature |
13 | not | role of 'not' in systems of logic |
14 | Number as adjectival | numbers as properties, rather than objects |
3 | Number definition | general ideas and proposals about defining numbers |
7 | Number one | status and nature of the number one |
19 | Number priority | which type of numbers is the most fundamental? |
7 | Number zero | status and nature of the number zero |
20 | Number, axioms for | general ideas about giving arithmetic a formal basis |
46 | Number, Fregean | Frege's view of numbers as extensions of classes |
10 | Number, Greek | basic principles of arithmetic according to the early Greeks |
4 | Number, von Neumann | Von Neumann's view of numbers as expanding sets |
3 | Number, Zermelo | Zermelo's view of numbers as nested sets |
26 | Numbers | general ideas concerning numbers |
1 | Numbers, imaginary | numbers which are negative when squared |
25 | Numbers, types of | the various families of numbers |
O | ||
29 | Object nihilism | denial that there are such things as unified objects |
6 | Objectification | tendency to treat properties and concepts as objects |
39 | Objectivity | seeing reality without a personal point of view |
15 | Objects in thought | objects as conceptual entities used in reasoning |
16 | Objects over time | general ideas about sameness of objects over time |
17 | Objects that change | how identity fares when an object's properties change |
24 | Objects, four-dimensional | objects extend in both space and time |
17 | Objects, impossible | status of 'objects' that can't actually exist |
37 | Objects, physical | what distinctively unifies physical objects |
12 | Objects, three-dimensional | objects extend in space, but not in time |
8 | Observation in science | attempt to neutrally perceive the environment |
5 | Occasionalism of mind | a third force (God) co-ordinates mind and matter |
27 | Ockham's Razor | 'Do not multiply entities beyond necessity' |
12 | Omissions in actions | assessing consequences of failures to act |
21 | One, nature as | nature is really a single perfect object |
17 | Ontological dependence | things that rely on other things for their existence |
38 | Ontological proof critique | objections to the conceptual proof of God's existence |
37 | Ontological proof of God | concept of God implies necessary existence |
15 | Ontologies | nature of our theories about fundamental reality |
22 | Ontology of logic | overview of what must exist to enable logic |
1 | Open question argument | definitions failing by not resolving the problem |
5 | Opposites | concepts held to be totally opposed to each other |
8 | or | role of 'or' in systems of logic |
10 | Ordering in sets | ordered sets, and using sets to describe orderings |
30 | Ordinal numbers | numbers relating to position rather than total |
21 | Origin as essential | origin of an object is part of what is essential to it |
7 | Original social position | situation of persons prior to socialisation |
4 | Other minds | general ideas about other people's minds |
12 | Other minds by analogy | knowing other minds as like our own mind |
6 | Other minds scepticism | doubts about knowledge of other minds |
22 | Other minds, knowledge of | how we might know of other minds |
P | ||
12 | Panpsychism | all matter has a mental aspect to it |
12 | Pantheism | view that God and nature are identical |
5 | Paraconsistency | logic which accepts a degree of contradiction |
4 | Paradigms in science | set framework for understanding nature |
5 | Paradox | general ideas about meeting contradictions in thought |
1 | Paradox fo the Preface | problem with apologies in the preface of a book |
9 | Paradox of Achilles | problem when analysing a pursuit race |
4 | Paradox of Berry | problem with defining a number with maximum words |
5 | Paradox of Burali-Forti | problem arising when we think of the greatest ordinal |
2 | Paradox of Cantor | problem with the powerset of the universe |
2 | Paradox of Grelling ('heterological') | problem with concepts which describe themselves |
1 | Paradox of König | problem with denying that something can be defined |
2 | Paradox of Mirimanoff | problem with extending well-founded sets |
2 | Paradox of Richard | problem with defining a closed set of real numbers |
7 | Paradox of Russell | problem with self-membership of a set |
6 | Paradox of The Heap ('Sorites') | problem with defining what makes a heap |
19 | Paradox of The Liar | problem when liars refer to themselves |
2 | Paradox of the Lottery | problem when deciding whether your ticket will win |
3 | Paradoxes of time | contradiction is the precise analysis of time |
8 | Parallelism of mind | mind and matter don't touch, but run in parallel |
7 | Paraphrase | expressing a concept in a more convenient way |
11 | Particle properties | features found in various particles |
18 | Particularism | there are no rules, so we must attend to details |
6 | Pascal's wager | belief in God because it is a sensible precaution |
25 | Peano axioms | set of arithmetic axioms proposed by Dedekind and Peano |
9 | Peano axioms, 2nd-order | Dedekind-Peano axioms which also refer to properties |
37 | People, a unified | how many individuals count as a single people |
34 | Perception | process from raw experience to awareness of reality |
21 | Perception and inference | inference is an essential part of perception |
10 | Perception, causal theory | perception as a causal chain from world to mind |
26 | Perception, interpretation | role of interpretation in a direct act of perception |
17 | Periodic table | arrangement of modern elements in a pattern |
11 | Persons as agents | concept of a person is needed for actions |
5 | Persons as ends | seeing rational beings as an ultimate value in actions |
5 | Persons as reasoners | concept of a person is needed for reasoning |
5 | Persons as responsible | concept of a person is needed for responsibility |
9 | Persons, their existence | whether persons really differ from human beings |
31 | Phenomenalism | reality is just actual and potential appearances |
23 | Phenomenology | approaching wisdom by examining human experience |
2 | Philosophical logic | overview of the directions of present and future logics |
7 | Philosophy as generalisation | philosophy aims at broad generalisations |
2 | Philosophy as healing | philosophy as a way to restore mental health |
12 | Philosophy as puzzles | philosophy deals with a set of basic puzzles |
18 | Philosophy as reason | philosophy explores where reason take us |
12 | Philosophy as transcendent | philosophy takes us beyond ordinary life |
33 | Philosophy as worldly | philosophy aims to understand the (human) world |
32 | Philosophy defined | attempts to define the whole subject of philosophy |
32 | Philosophy in general | general remarks about philosophy |
6 | Philosophy, 17th century | overview of philosophy from 1601 to 1700 |
10 | Philosophy, 18th century | overview of philosophy from 1701 to 1800 |
7 | Philosophy, 19th century | overview of philosophy from 1801 to 1878 |
6 | Philosophy, classical | philosophy 410 to 322 BCE |
1 | Philosophy, contemporary | overview of philosophy in Europe 1956 onwards |
48 | Philosophy, despair over | view of the whole enterprise as hopeless |
3 | Philosophy, earlier medieval | philosophy 643 to 1299 |
8 | Philosophy, history of | general ideas about the history of philosophy |
11 | Philosophy, hopes for | optimistic views of what philosophy can achieve |
20 | Philosophy, invocation to | encouragements to pursue philosophy |
6 | Philosophy, its divisions | systematic divisions of philosophy into main topics |
2 | Philosophy, late classical | philosophy from 100 BCE to 642 CE |
3 | Philosophy, later medieval | philosophy 1300 to 1470 |
2 | Philosophy, middle modern | overview of philosophy in Europe 1921 - 1955 |
2 | Philosophy, modern beginnings | overview of philosophy in Europe 1879 - 1920 |
7 | Philosophy, pre-Socratic | philosophy up to 410 BCE |
3 | Philosophy, renaissance | philosophy 1471 to 1600 |
20 | Physicalism | reality consists entirely of material things in space-time |
14 | Physicalism critique | attempts to prove that mind is not just physical |
39 | Physicalism of mind | mind is entirely physical in composition |
2 | Pi | ratio of circumference to diameter of a circle |
29 | Platonic Forms | Plato's separate reality of pure ideas |
23 | Platonic Forms critique | criticisms of Plato's theory of Forms |
23 | Platonic Forms, partaking | how particulars are said to relate to Forms |
6 | Platonic Forms, self-predication | whether forms exemplify their own quality |
5 | Platonism in logic | that logical entities have independent existence |
8 | Pleasure as an ideal | ideal life for believers in pleasure |
14 | Pleasure, its dangers | how can pleasure be harmful? |
13 | Pleasure, its role | what is the point of pleasure? |
10 | Pleasure, nature of | what exactly pleasure is |
10 | Pleasure, sources of | what sorts of things can give us pleasure? |
16 | Pleasure, types of | what types of pleasure are there? |
27 | Pleasure, value of | how important is pleasure in life? |
13 | Points in space | minimal units that make up space |
10 | Political ideology | general ideas about theories of political principle |
14 | Polytheism, Greek | early Greek religion, centred on Zeus and others |
5 | Population of humanity | global issues about the size of human population |
10 | Populations of states | appropriate size of a state's population |
8 | Positivism | belief in science as the only route to truth |
41 | Possibility | general ideas about what is possible |
4 | Possibility, combinatorial | possibilities are combinations of the actual |
3 | Possibility, epistemic | what seems to be possible, given what is known |
6 | Possible but inconceivable | possibe despite not being conceivable |
9 | Possible objects | whether non-actual objects might possibly exist |
32 | Possible worlds | existence of non-actual possible worlds |
13 | Possible worlds actualism | proposal that only our actual world exists |
8 | Possible worlds as fictions | possible worlds as complete consistent fictions |
7 | Possible worlds as propositions | possible worlds as maximal sets of propositions |
13 | Possible worlds realism | proposal that possible worlds really exist |
17 | Possible worlds semantics | giving full meaning by specifying some set of possible worlds |
29 | Possible worlds, against | there is no such thing as a 'possible world' |
32 | Possible worlds, nature of | overview of what we take possible worlds to be |
13 | Potentiality | possibilities of some specific thing |
25 | Power in society | ways in which states control their citizens |
33 | Powers | nature of underlying powers |
29 | Powers and properties | relation between powers and our view of properties |
39 | Powers as basic | powers seen as the foundation of physical reality |
23 | Powers as derived | powers as products of something more basic |
24 | Powers as essence | powers as giving the essential nature of each thing |
18 | Powers critique | criticisms of the idea that there are 'powers' in reality |
32 | Practical reason | reasoning processes that lead to action |
24 | Pragmatic truth | truth as the aim of enquiry |
9 | Pragmatism | knowledge is what works well in practice |
1 | Predicate Calculus completeness | that all the valid truths of PC are provable |
3 | Predicate Calculus PC | general ideas about standard predicate logic |
6 | Predicate Calculus rules | normal rules used in predicate logic reasoning |
4 | Predicate Calculus symbols | meanings of the symbols used in predicate logic |
1 | Predicate Calculus terminology | main technical terminology of predicate logic |
25 | Predicates in language | terms attributing characteristics to things |
6 | Predicates in logic | assigning predicates to objects in formulae |
19 | Predicativism | maths entities only allowed if freshly defined |
18 | Prediction | predicting events as support for a theory |
17 | Prescriptivism | morality is our assertion of universal duties |
14 | Present moment | nature of the present moment of time |
30 | Presentism of time | only the present moment exists |
5 | Presupposition | what is taken for granted in a conversation |
17 | Primary / secondary critique | criticism of the primary/secondary distinction |
19 | Primary / secondary qualities | dividing qualities into different types |
21 | Primary qualities | qualities considered independent of observation |
11 | Prime matter | most basic matter, with no form at all |
3 | Prisoner's Dilemma | situations where being rational brings failure |
9 | Privacy of mind | exceptionally private nature of thought |
21 | Private language | possibility of a solitary person having language |
15 | Probability | asserting the degree of likelihood of a fact |
21 | Processes | accepting purposeful sequences of happenings as existents |
8 | Promise keeping | logic and authority of keeping promises |
14 | Proof by natural deduction | proofs built from introduction and elimination rules |
5 | Proof by sequents | proof were every step is a proof and not just a formula |
8 | Proof by tableau | proof by eliminating branches on inference trees |
7 | Proof from assumptions | proofs which add assumptions to axioms and rules |
7 | Proof from axioms | proofs built up from some initially accepted truths |
7 | Proof in mathematics | establishing new certainties from a starting point |
12 | Proof of God | using reason to convince of God's existence |
4 | Proof systems | general ideas about the different proof systems |
8 | Proof, conclusive | securely establishing a result by precise defined steps |
17 | Properties as modes | properties as simply ways of existing |
22 | Properties as sets | properties are just classes of certain objects |
30 | Properties, as predicates | properties as purely linguistic concepts |
29 | Properties, categorical | actualised properties, rather than conditional ones |
18 | Properties, denial of | rejection of the category of properties |
14 | Properties, emergent | new properties only found at higher levels of existence |
18 | Properties, intrinsic | properties that involve no other objects |
30 | Properties, natural | properties which constitute the natural world |
35 | Properties, nature of | what we should take a property to be |
9 | Properties, need for | why philosophy might need the concept of a 'property' |
17 | Properties, types | how properties might be divided into different groups |
5 | Property (λ-) abstraction | device for referring to an expressed property |
17 | Property dualism | mind is a non-reducible physical property |
47 | Property rights | right to own land and personal possessions |
8 | Propositional attitudes | attitudes to propositions, such as belief, desire, hope, regret |
12 | Propositional Logic | overview of the logical relationships between propositions |
1 | Propositional Logic completeness | there is a proof for every valid formula |
2 | Propositional Logic soundness | any formula which has a proof is a valid formula |
17 | Propositional Logic, axioms | statements treated as true without question |
18 | Propositional Logic, basic theorems | very useful sequents provable in propositional logic |
14 | Propositional Logic, derivation rules | basic rules used in proofs of propositional logic |
10 | Propositional Logic, symbols | main symbols used for propositional and further logics |
16 | Propositional Logic, terminology | definitions of the main concepts in propositional logic |
33 | Propositions | ideas that exist independently from any language |
20 | Propositions as mental | propositions as features of thought |
9 | Propositions as possible worlds | propositions as sets of possible worlds |
19 | Propositions as sense | propositions as objective abstract entities |
15 | Propositions critique | rejection of the existence of propositions |
14 | Propositions, concrete | propositions as made of real objects |
8 | Propositions, unity of | what makes a proposition a unified entity |
4 | Protons | positive components of atomic nuclei |
28 | Psuche | Greek concept of the mind/soul/life |
3 | Psychologism in mathematics | maths only exists as human psychological states |
4 | Psychology | general structure of the mind's operations |
13 | Punish as retribution | punishment as giving offenders what they deserve |
4 | Punish to deter | punishment to frighten others away from crime |
6 | Punish to reform | punishment to improve a criminal's behaviour |
21 | Punish, right to | what grounds the right of the state to punish |
14 | Pure reason | idea of reason as independent of natural constraints |
14 | Purpose denied | no aspect of nature contains genuine purpose |
13 | Purpose, final | nature is directed by a unified purpse |
17 | Purpose, limited | aspects of nature are defined by purpose |
Q | ||
12 | Qualia and intentionality | how qualia relate to thoughts being about things |
13 | Qualia explained | theories that might explain qualia |
17 | Qualia, nature of | what we should take qualia to be |
4 | Qualities | perceived aspects of properties |
8 | Qualities in perception | nature of the characteristics we perceive |
23 | Quantification in logic | general ideas about expressing quantities of objects |
24 | Quantification, plural | quantifiers pick out collections, not just 'one+' or 'all' |
11 | Quantification, second-order | quantifiyng over both objects, and features or sets of objects |
23 | Quantification, substitutional | quantifiers range over expressions instead of objects |
9 | Quantification, unorthodox | non-classical ways of referring to the quantity of objects |
4 | Quantifier, existential ∃ | symbol showing a variable refers to 'at least one' object |
4 | Quantifier, universal ∀ | symbol showing a variable refers to 'all' objects |
9 | Quantifiers, classical | universal and existential quantifiers picking objects |
4 | Quantity | specifying amounts of things numerically |
9 | Quantity of an object | what gives an object its size and shape |
13 | Quantum mechanics | particles are partly wave and partly particle |
3 | Quarks | basic particles that make up the nucleons |
3 | Question begging | taking for granted the very thing you are trying to prove |
R | ||
8 | Ramsey sentences | procedure to reduce metaphysical commitment in theories |
43 | Rationalism | reason as ultimate basis of all knowledge |
28 | Rationality | general capacity for reason and logic |
4 | Rationality, animal | non-human capacity to reason |
14 | Rationality, human | human capacity to reason |
16 | Raven paradox | problem irrelevant evidence for a general law |
29 | Real numbers | all numbers, including those inexpressible as fractions |
5 | Real numbers from Cauchy | defining real numbers using Cauchy sequences |
11 | Real numbers from cuts | defining real numbers by cutting the line of rationals |
41 | Realism about externals | commitment to the existence of a reality outside our minds |
25 | Reality | sort of reality to which realists are committed |
6 | Reality's levels | reality has a structure of interdependent levels |
34 | Reason | general role of reason in mind and living |
27 | Reason, its aims | what good reasoning aims to achieve |
17 | Reason, its status | importance of reason in human life |
22 | Reasons to act | reasons have a distinct causal role in actions |
6 | Recollection, doctrine of | knowledge as memories from a previous life |
1 | Reductio ad absurdum | refuting by reducing to absurdity |
25 | Reduction in ontology | explaining higher levels of existence by lower ones |
22 | Reduction of mind | all mental events can be explained physically |
10 | Reductionism critique | arguments against reducing mind to brain |
11 | Reference as direct | thought connecting directly with external things |
22 | Reference by causal link | reference fixed by a causal link to something |
25 | Reference by description | reference is fixed by a description |
12 | Reference by society | reference fixed by persons beyond the speaker |
12 | Reference by speaker | reference fixed by what the speaker intends |
29 | Reference theories | way language-terms connect with things in reality |
11 | Relations in logic | role of terms which connect objects into relationships |
4 | Relations, ancestral | a relation which is passed from one thing to the next |
2 | Relations, equivalence | a transitive, symmetrical, reflexive relation |
15 | Relations, internal | relations as intrinsic features of the things that are related |
35 | Relations, nature of | what we should understand a relation to be |
12 | Relations, types of | ways relations can be categorised and formalised |
31 | Relativism | knowledge varies according to points of view |
19 | Relativism critique | criticism of the idea that there are only points of view |
5 | Relativity, general | gravity seen as curvatures of space-time |
10 | Relativity, special | interconnections of mass, velocity and energy |
8 | Relevant logic | logic which requires some relevance of antecedent to consequent |
15 | Reliabilism, against | objections to reliabilist justification |
22 | Religion in society | relative roles of a government and a people's religion |
32 | Religious belief | nature of belief in a conscious supernatural reality |
5 | Religious experience | proving God's existence from direct human experience |
3 | Religious falsification | whether any evidence could falsify a religious claim |
4 | Religious meaning | whether religious language lacks real meaning |
3 | Religious verification | whether a religious claim could be verified |
23 | Representation in perception | theory that mind represents in order to perceive |
9 | Representative realism | we know reality via mental representations |
12 | Resemblance perception | seeing recurrences of properties and structures |
18 | Respect | assigning value to the lives of others |
30 | Responsibility for actions | whether motives were sufficiently good |
38 | Responsibility, moral | when is a person morally responsible? |
19 | Revolution, political | overthrow of the government by citizens |
24 | Rhetoric | use of language for emotional influence |
12 | Right and good | distinguishing what is good from right action |
10 | Right feelings | the feelings required for a virtuous disposition |
15 | Rights, alienation of | people's choice to give up some rights |
43 | Rights, basis of | what can justify giving or withholding rights |
4 | Rights, moral | what gives an entitlement to be treated morally |
22 | Rights, natural | rights that seem to belong to any living creature |
22 | Rigid designation in identity | items with fixed identity in all possible worlds |
9 | Rivers' continuity | is a river the same as the water in the river? |
6 | Rule following | moulding behaviour or thought to fit some principle |
S | ||
9 | Sameness | how we should understand two things being 'the same' |
12 | Satisfaction in logic | evaluating as True after all truth assignments are made |
3 | Scattered objects | the identity of objects with separated parts |
33 | Scepticism | general doubts about the possibility of knowledge |
30 | Scepticism critique | ways of objecting to strongly sceptical claims |
3 | Scepticism from demons | experience is virtual reality from demon/scientist |
7 | Scepticism from dreams | apparent reality may be just a false dream |
18 | Scepticism from illusions | our confidence in perception is undermined by illusions |
8 | Scepticism, types of | different modes of scepticism that seem to arise |
12 | Science, its aims | knowledge gained by experiments |
15 | Scientific aims | what science is trying to achieve, in general |
37 | Scientific essentialism | basics of essence as foundation of the laws |
17 | Scientific essentialism critique | objections to essences in scientific investigation |
26 | Scientific essentialist necessity | natural necessity deriving from essences of kinds |
39 | Scientific theory | a generalised explanation of natural events |
30 | Scientism | science is the way to solve philosophical problems |
32 | Secondary qualities | qualities seeming to involve the observer |
7 | Self and consciousness | possibility that only conscious beings could have a Self |
3 | Self and its concerns | problems of the persistence of Self over time |
21 | Self and memory | relationship between the sense of Self and memories |
15 | Self and the body | a body is necessary for a sef |
8 | Self and thinking | role, and necessity, of a self for thinking |
13 | Self as associations | Self is a unity formed by associating mental events |
2 | Self as brain controller | self is the dominant part of the brain |
4 | Self as ethical | Self as an inseparable part of moral life |
9 | Self as higher awareness | Self as concerned with awareness of awareness |
6 | Self as indeterminate | the self is in a continual state of change |
22 | Self as mental continuity | Self as the continuity of our conscious existence |
5 | Self as non-physical | Self is a distinct substance |
20 | Self as presupposed | Self can be inferred to exist, rather than experienced |
20 | Self as psychological, critique | criticisms the Self as continuity of consciousness |
13 | Self as social construct | we see ourselves totally through social influences |
2 | Self as the brain | the self is primarily the brain |
4 | Self identity | deciding when two selves are actually identical |
2 | Self sustained by body | only body can sustain the self over time |
24 | Self, denial of | denial that there is any such thing as a 'Self' |
6 | Self, narrative | Self mainly concerns our stories, history aqnd plans |
23 | Self-evidence | knowledge that is immediately grasped or obvious |
23 | Self-identity | relation of identity holding between a thing and itself |
18 | Self-interest | concern for ourselves, in the context of morality |
29 | Self-knowledge | directly acquiring knowledge of our Selves |
26 | Semantics | general ideas about assigning meaning to symbols |
23 | Semantics of logic | logic when interpreted, rather than mere formal systems |
7 | Semantics, causal | content is fixed by what causes it |
3 | Semantics, conceptual role | content is fixed by its role in thought |
2 | Semantics, informational | thought content is primarily information |
3 | Semantics, teleological | selected functional purpose fixes content |
17 | Sense and reference | reference language has two components |
17 | Sense-data, nature of | what sense-data would consist of |
19 | Sense-data, problems | difficulties with the concept of sense-data |
23 | Sense-data, theory | theory that sense-data actually exist |
4 | Sense-data, unperceived | the status of sense-data when not perceived |
11 | Sentence meaning | whole sentences are the main units of meaning |
34 | Set axiom, Choice IX | axiom for a new set by sampling |
3 | Set axiom, Comprehension | axiom saying a set exists which satisfies a predicate |
6 | Set axiom, Constructibility V=L | possible axiom saying all sets are constructible |
1 | Set axiom, Empty Set IV | axiom asserting that there is an empty set |
2 | Set axiom, Existence | axiom that gets sets started |
9 | Set axiom, Extension I | axiom concerning what makes a set |
6 | Set axiom, Foundation VIII | axiom saying all sets have a preceding basis |
13 | Set axiom, Infinity V | axiom for a vast set based on successors |
5 | Set axiom, Pairing II | axiom for new sets by combination |
5 | Set axiom, Powers VI | axiom for a new set from any given set |
10 | Set axiom, Reducibility | outdated axiom saying functions reduce to basics |
5 | Set axiom, Replacement VII | axiom saying the bijection of any set is also a set |
3 | Set axiom, Separation | axiom that new sets must be separated from old ones |
2 | Set axiom, Specification | axiom to specify new sets |
3 | Set axiom, Unions III | axiom for new sets from parts |
33 | Set axioms | general points about the basics of set theory |
30 | Set Theory | general ideas concerning the theory of sets |
23 | Set theory critique | objections to the whole idea of set theory |
4 | Set theory paradoxes | inconsistencies resulting from set theory axioms |
4 | Set theory, basic theorems | useful simple theorems derived within set theory |
19 | Set theory, symbols | symbols which are distinctive of set theory |
40 | Set theory, terminology | main concepts which are distinctive of set theory |
1 | Sets as combinations | sets as merely combinations of things with identities |
30 | Sets, empty / null | status of a set having no members |
10 | Sets, infinite | sets which contain an infinity of members |
10 | Sets, natural | which sets are natural, rather than conventional |
8 | Sets, their existence | commitment to sets as really existint entities |
4 | Sets, types of | general ways of categorising types of set |
12 | Sets, unit / singleton | status of a set having a single member |
14 | Sexual morality | social issues concerning sexual relationships |
19 | Ship of Theseus | does his ship remain if its parts are steadily changed? |
9 | Simples | minimal small components that make up larger objects |
16 | Singular terms | any phrase intended to pick out a single object |
29 | Slavery | allowing workers to be unpaid and owned by others |
30 | Social contract | power derived from agreement among citizens |
21 | Social structure | formal statement of a society's structure and rights |
13 | Socialism | control of main beneficial institutions by society |
8 | Solipsism | only the contents of the thinker's mind exist |
19 | Soul | nature of the surviving part of a person |
12 | Soundness in logic | whether all formal deductions always lead to truth |
13 | Sovereignty | rightful power over citizens |
13 | Space | general ideas about space |
8 | Space as relational | space as entirely the relations between objects |
16 | Space as substantive | space that exists in its own right |
16 | Space-time | relative space and time, treated as one system |
9 | Speaker's intention meaning | meaning is what speaker's want to communicate |
13 | Species | dividing living things into distinct groups |
18 | Species essence | essence for animals is the species they belong to |
5 | Split consciousness | problems with the possibility of dividing consciousness or brain |
11 | Standard model of physics | main principles of the standard physics model |
39 | State, its purpose | reasons why a people forms itself into a state |
8 | States of affairs | reality as a collection of complex situations |
38 | Statue and clay | united objects with separate aspects |
5 | Strict Implication | it can never be that P is true and Q is false |
8 | String theory | vibrating strings explain all fields and particles |
4 | Structural relations | relations that build the structure of existences |
23 | Structuralism critique | objections to structuralism about mathematics |
34 | Structuralism in mathematics | general ideas concerning the structuralist approach |
13 | Structuralism, nominalist | structuralism denying real objects or real structures |
12 | Structuralism, platonist | structuralism with real objects or real structures |
11 | Structuralism, varieties of | proposed options for how to understand structuralism |
15 | Structure of objects | general ideas about how objects must be structured |
7 | Stuff, mixed | general masses with more than one ingredient |
17 | Stuff, pure | general masses which are fairly homogeneous |
22 | Subjectivism | knowledge is entirely 'down to the individual' |
11 | Sublime, the | the highest level of aesthetic experience |
41 | Substance | general ideas about notion of unified substances |
20 | Substance critique | objections to the very concept of substances |
37 | Substance defined | attempts to define what a substance consists of |
3 | Substance, end of | passing-away of a substance or object |
6 | Substance, need for | why we need the concept of substance |
9 | Substance, start of | coming-to-be of a substance or object |
20 | Substance, types of | varieties of entity that can count as substances |
22 | Substratum | an object's underlying aspect, apart from surface features |
10 | Successive things | things which need time in order to exist |
23 | Sufficient reason | claim that there is a reason for everything |
24 | Suicide | attitudes to a person taking their own life |
18 | Superman / übermensch | moral visionaries as the source of ethical systems |
5 | Supersymmetry | every particle once had a super-partner |
30 | Supervaluation for vagueness | narrowing down the vagueness |
19 | Supervenience of mind | total mapping of thoughts onto brain events |
14 | Supervenience, nature of | defining and elucidating supervenience |
23 | Supervenience, significance | what should be inferred from a supervenience |
9 | Supervenience, types of | distinguishing different forms of supervenience |
15 | Syllogisms of Aristotle | Aristotle's original account of formal syllogistic logic |
14 | Syllogistic Logic | general ideas about formal arguments in syllogism form |
8 | Synonymy | whether two items can have identical meaning |
9 | Syntax | purely structural or grammatical features of language |
T | ||
8 | Tabula rasa | 'blank page' - minds begin with no knowledge |
4 | Taoism | suppress desire and reestablish unity with the cosmos |
11 | Taste | nature and status of good taste |
5 | Taxation | rights and extent of government taking citizens' wealth |
19 | Teaching | virtues and principles of good teaching |
28 | Teleological proof critique | denying that order and harmony prove God |
32 | Teleological proof of God | order and harmony of nature proves God exists |
11 | Temperance as virtue | restraint and rational self-control as a virtue |
4 | Temporal logic | Inferences across past, present and future |
21 | Temporal parts | things have parts in time, as they do in space |
7 | Temporal truths | knowledge of truths of past and future |
5 | Term logic | Sommers's modern updating of syllogistic logic |
7 | Theocracy | rule by a religious group |
9 | Theories in logic | complete sets of propositions derived from some start |
4 | Theory holism in science | theories can only be grasped as part of the whole |
34 | Thought | intentional activity of the mind |
4 | Thought experiments | imagining a situation to explore the principles involved |
5 | Time and change | relationship between time and physical change |
4 | Time and motion | understanding motion in relation to time |
10 | Time and tenses | meaning of verbs of past and future |
13 | Time as absolute | time is a real and unchanging backdrop to nature |
8 | Time as eternal | all times exist together, without division into parts |
12 | Time as growing block | past and present exist, but the future does not |
10 | Time as measure | time is our measure of passing events |
10 | Time as relative | time is relative to observers, objects and relations |
11 | Time denied | time does not actually exist |
12 | Time experienced | how we experience the nature of time |
5 | Time instants | smallest atoms in the division of time |
4 | Time intervals | brief sections in the passing of time |
5 | Time measuring | how we measure intervals and transits of time |
13 | Time series | type of series formed by events in time |
6 | Time travel | possibility of breaking out of a time series |
7 | Time without events | status of time when nothing moves or happens |
9 | Time, idealist | time as a feature of human consciousness |
12 | Time, tensed (A) | A-series, with the present as a distinctive moment |
12 | Time, tenseless (B) | B-series, of equal times, with no past-present-future |
24 | Time's arrow | that time seems to have one fixed direction |
5 | Time's beginning | whether time has a first instant |
6 | Time's rate | speed of the passing of time |
3 | Tracking facts | hallmark of knowledge is tracking facts if they shift |
5 | Transcendental argument | backwards reasoning to accepting presuppositions |
6 | Translation | expressing meanings of one language in another language |
1 | Transubstantiation | properties of bread and wine survive consumption |
31 | Transworld identity | can possible things be the same as actual things? |
36 | Tropes | the principles and concepts of trope theory |
22 | Tropes critique | arguments against the existence of tropes |
31 | Truth | whether truth exists, and what it is in general |
9 | Truth and metalanguage | using a separate language to define truth |
18 | Truth and satisfaction | 'satisfaction' as a means of defining truth |
7 | Truth as minimal | truth defined formally, without ontology |
13 | Truth as redundant | truth is an unnecessary meaningless concept |
35 | Truth as semantic | significance of formal defintions of linguistic truth |
25 | Truth bearers | sorts of items capable of truth and falsehood |
27 | Truth by Tarski | truth defined for formal languages, using 'satisfaction' |
30 | Truth definition | question of whether truth can be defined, and how |
32 | Truth deflated | truth has no nature, and refers to nothing |
21 | Truth makers | general ideas about what determines truths |
11 | Truth rejected | denial of either meaning or content to the concept of truth |
9 | Truth tables | displaying logical relations in terms of true and false |
35 | Truth, axiomatic theories | theories of truth built from a set of axioms |
6 | Truth, formal, in logic | role of truth in various systems of formal logic |
3 | Truth, FS axioms of | Friedman-Sheard axiomatisation of truth |
36 | Truth, its value | why anyone might desire truth |
6 | Truth, KF axioms of | Kripke-Feferman axiomatisation of truth |
24 | Truth, logical | statements held to be true because of a logic system |
15 | Truth, subjective | no truth, apart from the way individuals see things |
8 | Truth, uses of | how 'truth' is used in thought and enquiry |
15 | Truth-conditional semantics | giving meaning by specifying how sentences would be true |
33 | Truth-conditions meaning | meaning is the situation making a sentence true |
9 | Truthmaker maximalism | there cannot be a truth which doesn't have a truthmaker |
11 | Truthmaker necessitarianism | makers that ground truths also force them to be true |
15 | Truthmakers, against | opposing the claim that all truths have truthmakers |
8 | Truthmakers, for | supporting the idea that all truths have truthmakers |
11 | Truthmaking and correspondence | relation of truth-making to the correspondence theory of truth |
7 | Truthmaking by Being | truths supervene on how things actually are |
8 | Truthmaking by objects | truths are made true by some sort of object |
5 | Truthmaking by states | truths are made true by some state of affairs |
5 | Truthmaking for future | how truths about the future can be made true now |
3 | Truthmaking for generalities | how general truths are made true |
10 | Truthmaking for modality | how truths of necessity and possibility are made true |
10 | Truthmaking for negatives | how negative truths can have truthmakers |
6 | Truthmaking for past | how truths about the past can be made true now |
11 | Truthmaking relation | how truths relate to their truthmakers |
5 | Turing machines | theoretical machine that implements thinking |
6 | Turing test | possibility of a machine passing itself as human |
2 | Twentieth century thought | landmarks of general European thought, 1879 - 2000 |
20 | Twin Earth | we may not know what we mean by 'water' |
20 | Two-dimensional semantics | giving meaning by possible worlds with two separate components |
11 | Type Identity | being identical in category |
23 | Type theory in logicism | theory that maths is a hierarchy of set types |
U | ||
18 | Unconscious mind | workings of mind hidden from consciousness |
43 | Understanding | knowledge of sources, causes and explanations |
3 | Unfairness | problem of unequal distribution of pleasure or pain |
11 | Unification as conceptual | unification of objects as only occurring in our minds |
23 | Unification as intrinsic | unification of an object by some intrinsic aspect of it |
18 | Unifying aggregates | whether a mere assemblage of parts can be unified |
21 | Units | a series of isolated 'ones' on which counting is built |
22 | Universalisability | seeing rules for action as universal guidelines |
37 | Universals | single concepts applying to many things |
7 | Universals as concepts | universals taken to exist just as mental features |
12 | Universals, instantiated | universals only existing in actual things |
25 | Universals, need for | things which only universals seem to explain |
13 | Universals, uninstantiated | universals existing apart from their actual instances |
8 | Universe as eternal | no beginning for the universe |
7 | Unlimited, the | one basic unknowable substance exists |
27 | Use theory of meaning | meaning of language is its use |
37 | Utilitarianism | belief that good is maximising happiness |
1 | Utilitarianism, ideal | maximising ideal goods for everyone |
4 | Utilitarianism, rule | doing what generally leads to increased happiness |
12 | Utilitarianism, social | maximum happiness as the aim of government |
V | ||
29 | Vague objects | distinct objects with uncertain boundaries |
14 | Vagueness as ignorance | vagueness arising from our imprecise knowledge |
18 | Vagueness as linguistic | vagueness as indecision about word meanings |
15 | Vagueness of reality | treating some aspects of reality as inherently vague |
7 | Vagueness problem | why vagueness matters to philosophy |
7 | Vagueness, degrees of | placing values on degrees of vagueness |
2 | Vagueness, higher-order | uncertainties about if something is vague |
25 | Value and fact | distinction between what is and what ought to be |
25 | Value, nature of | what is desirability or worth in something? |
9 | Value, objective | values independent of points of view |
17 | Value, subjective | values arising from a human perspective |
34 | Value, ultimate | what has the highest value or desirablity |
19 | Variables in logic | symbols which do not yet have a determined value |
8 | Veil of ignorance | choosing a society in ignorance of one's role |
36 | Verificationism in meaning | meaning is tied to observation and verification |
8 | Verisimilitude | process of getting closer to the truth |
20 | Virtue theory critique | reasons against virtue theory |
22 | Virtue, its basis | foundation and justification for belief in virtues |
44 | Virtue, motivation for | why people might want to be virtuous |
5 | Virtue, natural | some virtue is born in us |
53 | Virtue, nature of | morality as aiming to produce good persons |
28 | Virtue, teaching it | whether people can be taught to be virtuous |
19 | Virtue, unity of | all virtues are variants of a single thing |
40 | Virtues | qualities considered to make a person excellent |
6 | Virtues, absolute | virtues that have no compromise or mean |
9 | Void | volumes of the Cosmos containing nothing |
4 | Volitionism | choosing to act is sufficient to perform an action |
W | ||
30 | War as just | justifications for starting a war |
18 | War combatants | role and ethics of the fighters |
14 | War conduct | ethics of how wars are fought |
9 | War ending | issues concerning peace after war |
7 | War non-combatants | treatment of civilians and prisoners |
30 | Weakness of will | failing to perform the action which is judged best |
18 | Wealth as virtue | possession of money as a possible virtue |
5 | Welfare,social | government action for citizens in need of help |
33 | Will to act | mental initiation of an action |
8 | Will to power | morality deriving from psychological drives |
16 | Wisdom deflated | doubts about the high status of wisdom |
37 | Wisdom, nature of | defining and explaining the nature of true wisdom |
33 | Wise people | sort of character traits which accompany wisdom |
Z | ||
3 | Zen Buddhism | achieve radiant wordless enlightenment by meditation |
11 | Zombies | possible complete human, but lacking awareness |
5 | Zoroastrianism | ancient Persian, with one god, and Zoroaster as prophet |