how should we ascertain the meaning of a philosophical term

(509.1) How does H. describe the sentiment associated with the latter? E.g. Explain. the use of fallacious arguments, esp. Not to be confused with the fallacious: if X, then Y, not X, therefore not Y (“Denial of the antecedent”). the quality of being clear, logical, and convincing; lucidity. Metaphysics / Epistemology. A deduction is a valid argument. Modus tollens. Necessary / Contingent. Upon what relation do all reasonings concerning matters of fact seem founded? Our intuitions about the scenario may be incompatible with what a theory claims about the scenario, forcing us to decide between the theory and our intuitions. (500), 8. tongue marks on the butter) to the truth of the theory that best explains the phenomenon (e.g. What does the "necessary conclusion" seem to be? An induction is an argument the truth of whose premises would not serve to guarantee the truth of its conclusion, yet would provide some evidence for it. 9. The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, available online at: Various other encyclopedias and dictionaries of philosophy can be found in the library. (Alternative definition: ... iff there is no possible situation in which the premises are all true and the conclusion false. A way things could have been (or are, since the actual world is also a possible world). (502) What should we say to those devotees of science who look to it to unlock the ultimate secrets of natures? (498), 5. Deduction. Converse. metaphysical sciences? Philosophical Thought. All cats are fat, a fortiori Tibbles is fat. Contrasted with (merely) descriptive claims/terms. To what does the creative power of the mind amount? if and only if it is both valid, and all of its premises are. An argument begs the question iff one of the premises of the argument covertly assumes the truth of the conclusion – that is, the argument is circular. This list is neither comprehensive nor the final word. The question is ambiguous. Not to be confused with the fallacious: if X, then Y, Y, therefore X (“Affirmation of the consequent”). that is intended by the arguer to be (deductively) valid, that is, to provide a guarantee of the truth of the conclusion provided that the, is the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature and scope of knowledge and is also referred to as "theory of knowledge". (499-500) 7. A position under criticism, but which no one really holds. Ad hoc (“To a specific end or purpose”). Metaphysics has many specific branches but at the broadest level can be thought of as the study of how things are. Why? And if it be impossible to assign any, this will serve to confirm our suspicion. could be trusted to the "fallacious deductions of our reason"? If experience must in some way enter into the justification, it is said to be only knowable a posteriori. Modus ponens. Let usthen suppose the mind to be, as we say, white paper, void of all characters, without any ideas; how, create, study and share online flash cards. On what ground does H. argue that it is not probable that causal inferences Into what two classes does H. divide perceptions? (Similar: eo ipso.). That is, comparatively few believeeither that a meaningful life is a merely neutral quality… (499-500), 7. Into what two kinds does H. divide "the objects of reason or inquiry"? If the meaning alone of a true sentence is not enough to ensure its truth, it is synthetically true. Valid. Dependent on, or in some other way related to, experience. Straw position / Straw man. (516.1-517.1), 22. What three principles of association does H. find? (509-510), 17. Only the contrapositive is logically equivalent to the original. Can it be demonstrated (i.e., by reasoning a priori) that because (1) all X's have in the past been followed by Y's, (2) X's in the future will be followed by Y's? Upon what relation do all reasonings concerning matters of fact seem founded? the way the mind processes certain characteristics of an object through its relationship to the senses. How does the belief in the existence of things not present to sensation arise, according to H.? 11. 10. What might we call "Hume's microscope"? A priori / a posteriori. State H's two definitions of cause. the theory that all knowledge is derived from sense-experience. The converse of “If X, then Y” is “If Y, then X”. Argument. How are complex ideas known? A proposition is knowable a priori iff one could be justified in believing it on the basis of reason alone. Sometimes said to be “inductively but not deductively valid”. A good way to argue for a claim is to temporarily hypothesize the negation of this claim and then show that this hypothesis generates an absurdity. with the intention of deceiving. A priori / a posteriori. How should we ascertain the meaning of a philosophical term? By contrast, epistemology (again broadly) is the study of our knowledge of how things are. (503), 12. Induction. The word philosophical means "of or relating to philosophers or philosophy," according to Merriam-Webster. What is the "chief obstacle" to our improvement in the moral or A normative term is one that cannot be used except in making normative claims. Why is it circular to argue in a probabilistic manner that the future will be like the past? Ipso facto (“By that very fact”). When we entertain therefore, any suspicion that a philosophical term is employed without any meaning or idea (as is but too frequent), we need but enquire, from what impression is that supposed idea derived? When we entertain therefore, any suspicion that a philosophical term is employed without any meaning or idea (as is but too frequent), we need but enquire. Iff. Does natural philosophy let us discover the ultimate causes of things? A sentence is analytically true iff it is true solely in virtue of the meaning of the expressions within it. This might perhaps be given, if we could first ascertain the function of man. Common Philosophical Terms. Analytic / Synthetic. To be a person is ipso facto to have moral worth. This section addresses different accounts of thesense of talk of “life's meaning” (and of“significance,” “importance,” and othersynonyms). Definiens. (499) 6. (515.1), 21. E.g. Inference to the best explanation. For example, a certain smell may be associated with a memory, like the smell of hot dogs at a baseball game. In part, thisdepends on the fact that the term ‘word’ itself is highlypolysemous (see, e.g., Matthews 1991; Booij 2007; Lieber 2010). To infer to the best explanation is to infer from the existence of a phenomenon (e.g. A normative (or “prescriptive”) claim is one that could be true only if someone or other ought to do something, or something ought to be the case. What may we do if definition is not sufficient? Normative. In a definition, the definiendum is the phrase being defined, the definiens is what defines the definiendum. (512), 18. What "principle" determines us to infer the existence of one object from another? What claim does H. make about the way "all events seem" to philosophical introspection? (507), Without the influence of this, of what would we be entirely ignorant? (514), 20. the branch of philosophy that deals with the first principles of things, including abstract concepts such as being, knowing, substance, cause, identity, time, and space. Type/Token. Why does he say his own position is "somewhat extraordinary"? A proposition is knowable a priori iff one could be justified in believing it on the basis of reason alone. 4. All cats are fat, a fortiori Tibbles is fat. A set of claims where (a) one of these claims is the argument’s conclusion, (b) the others are its premises, and (c) the premises are (rightly or wrongly) put forward as evidence for the conclusion. The questions are keyed to the version of Hume's Enquiry in Ariew and Watkins, ed., Modern Philosophy A branch of metaphysics concerned specifically with what (kinds of) things there are. 24. (497), 3. (501). 14. An imagined scenario. A large majority of those writing on life's meaning deemtalk of it centrally to indicate a positive final value that anindividual's life can exhibit. In what does the difference between fiction and belief lie? (What three arguments does H. give to support his view?) Can we discover a clear impression corresponding to the idea of power associated with our apparent ability to entertain and dismiss ideas? reasoning allows for the possibility that the conclusion is false, even if all of the premises are true.