Logo
Pattern

Discover published sets by community

Explore tens of thousands of sets crafted by our community.

Metaphysics: Ontology

25

Flashcards

0/25

Still learning
StarStarStarStar

Monism

StarStarStarStar

Monism is the ontological theory that all of reality is of one substance or principle. Significance: Monism provides a unified view of existence, often contrasted with dualism and pluralism in discussing the composition of reality.

StarStarStarStar

A Priori and A Posteriori

StarStarStarStar

A Priori knowledge is independent of experience, whereas A Posteriori knowledge is dependent on experience. Significance: This distinction is crucial in epistemology for classifying types of knowledge and understanding how they relate to justification and evidence.

StarStarStarStar

Phenomenology

StarStarStarStar

Phenomenology is a philosophical approach that studies structures of experience and consciousness. Significance: By focusing on phenomena as they appear, it provides insights into existence from the first-person perspective without presupposing an underlying reality.

StarStarStarStar

Modal Realism

StarStarStarStar

Modal Realism is the view that possible worlds are as real as the actual world. Significance: This position, often associated with philosopher David Lewis, challenges conventional notions of reality and has profound implications for metaphysics and modal logic.

StarStarStarStar

Dualism

StarStarStarStar

Dualism in ontology posits that there are two fundamental kinds of substance: physical (body) and non-physical (mind or soul). Significance: This view significantly impacts discussions of consciousness, identity, and the mind-body problem.

StarStarStarStar

Realism

StarStarStarStar

Realism in ontology holds that certain entities or categories of things, such as universals, exist independently of our thoughts and perceptions. Significance: Realism is a counterpoint to nominalism and is central to discussions about the independent existence of properties or ideas.

StarStarStarStar

Determinism

StarStarStarStar

Determinism is the philosophical doctrine that all events, including moral choices, are completely determined by previously existing causes. Significance: It has crucial implications for free will, moral responsibility, and the nature of human agency.

StarStarStarStar

Intentionality

StarStarStarStar

Intentionality is the quality of mental states by which they are directed at or about some object or state of affairs. Significance: It is foundational in discussions about the nature of thoughts, desires, and other mental phenomena, distinguishing them from physical states.

StarStarStarStar

Deontology

StarStarStarStar

Deontology is an ethical theory that uses rules to distinguish right from wrong. Significance: It is centered on the adherence to moral duties and principles, rather than outcomes, as the basis for ethical behavior.

StarStarStarStar

Essence

StarStarStarStar

Essence refers to the set of attributes that make an entity what it fundamentally is and without which it would lose its identity. Significance: Essence is key in understanding the nature of things and differentiating between accidental and essential properties.

StarStarStarStar

Free Will

StarStarStarStar

Free Will is the notion that individuals have the power to make choices free from certain kinds of constraints. Significance: The concept of free will is central to many philosophical debates involving moral responsibility, determinism, and the nature of human action.

StarStarStarStar

Ontology

StarStarStarStar

Ontology is the philosophical study of being, existence, and reality. It examines the nature of entities, their properties, and their relationships to one another. Significance: Ontology is foundational to many other areas of philosophy and provides the framework for discussing what fundamentally exists or can exist.

StarStarStarStar

Nominalism

StarStarStarStar

Nominalism is the ontological position that universals are merely names without any corresponding reality. Significance: It opposes realism about universals and has implications for theories of meaning and knowledge.

StarStarStarStar

Qualia

StarStarStarStar

Qualia are the subjective, first-person qualities of conscious experiences, such as the 'redness' of an apple. Significance: Qualia are central in discussions about the nature of consciousness, the mind-body problem, and the limits of objective understanding.

StarStarStarStar

Identity

StarStarStarStar

In ontology, identity refers to the relation that each thing bears only to itself. Significance: The principle of identity is fundamental in discussions about sameness, difference, and change over time.

StarStarStarStar

Accidents

StarStarStarStar

In ontology, accidents are properties that a substance has contingently, without which the substance would still be the same entity. Significance: This concept allows philosophers to discuss non-essential attributes that can change without affecting an entity's essence.

StarStarStarStar

Teleology

StarStarStarStar

Teleology refers to the explanation of phenomena by the purpose they serve rather than by postulated causes. Significance: Teleological reasoning is significant in discussions about the nature of life, the concept of design, and the existence of intrinsic goals

StarStarStarStar

Doctrine of Double Effect

StarStarStarStar

The Doctrine of Double Effect is a principle asserting that an action with both a positive and negative effect is permissible if the negative effect was not intended. Significance: This doctrine has a major role in moral and ethical reasoning, especially in justifying actions in medical ethics and war.

StarStarStarStar

Substance

StarStarStarStar

In ontology, a substance is traditionally understood as an entity that exists independently and is the bearer of properties. Significance: It helps distinguish between entities that are fundamental and those that are dependent or relational.

StarStarStarStar

Existentialism

StarStarStarStar

Existentialism is a philosophical movement emphasizing individual freedom, choice, and subjective experience. Significance: It challenges traditional ontological categories by focusing on human existence and the meaning it can create.

StarStarStarStar

Materialism

StarStarStarStar

Materialism is the ontological belief that nothing exists apart from the material world and its processes. Significance: This perspective has been central to the development of the natural sciences and debates about consciousness and personhood.

StarStarStarStar

Idealism

StarStarStarStar

Idealism is the ontological view that reality is fundamentally mental or spiritual, and the material world is either an illusion or derivative of the mind. Significance: It challenges the primacy of the material and has implications for the understanding of perception and knowledge.

StarStarStarStar

Contingency

StarStarStarStar

Contingency refers to the status of propositions that are neither necessarily true nor necessarily false. Significance: Understanding contingency is key for analyzing how things could have been different and the limits of necessity.

StarStarStarStar

Platonism

StarStarStarStar

Platonism asserts the existence of abstract objects, which are non-spatial, atemporal, and unchanging. Significance: This view upholds the reality of universals and forms, influencing metaphysical discussions of eternal truths.

StarStarStarStar

Possible Worlds

StarStarStarStar

Possible Worlds are hypothetical situations or universes that are considered in modal logic and metaphysics to discuss contingency and necessity. Significance: This concept allows philosophers to analyze and discuss different scenarios and their implications for actuality.

Know
0
Still learning
Click to flip
Know
0
Logo

© Hypatia.Tech. 2024 All rights reserved.