Major philosophers, schools of thought, and core arguments from an intro philosophy course.
40 cards · basic cards · AI-written, checked twice. Edit anything.
- Who was the ancient Greek philosopher who founded the Academy and developed the theory of Forms?
- Plato
- What is Plato's theory of Forms?
- Non-physical abstract forms represent fundamental reality more than the physical world we perceive
- What is the highest good in Aristotle's ethics?
- Eudaimonia, often translated as flourishing or happiness achieved through virtue
- What is Aristotle's key concept of virtue?
- A settled disposition or habit to act rightly at the right time for the right reasons
- What is Descartes' most famous philosophical statement?
- Cogito ergo sum, or 'I think therefore I am'
- What problem did David Hume identify concerning causation?
- We never directly observe causation itself, only the constant conjunction of events following one another
- What is Kant's Categorical Imperative?
- An action is moral only if you can will it to be a universal law for all rational beings
- What did Kant mean by synthetic a priori knowledge?
- Knowledge that is both informative about the world and knowable independent of experience
- What is the core of Hegel's dialectical method?
- A thesis and its antithesis resolve into a synthesis, creating a new thesis
- What distinguishes John Stuart Mill's higher pleasures?
- Intellectual and moral pleasures are superior to physical pleasures
- What is Mill's harm principle?
- An action can be restricted only if it causes harm to others, not merely because it offends
- What does utilitarianism aim to maximize?
- Overall happiness or well-being, often called utility
- What is the central concept of Nietzsche's philosophy?
- Will to power, the fundamental driving force of all life and existence
- What is existentialism's core claim about human nature?
- Existence precedes essence; individuals create their own essence through their choices
- What is Sartre's concept of bad faith?
- Self-deception about one's own freedom and responsibility for one's choices