Philosophy

Scottish economist who advocated private enterprise and free trade (1723-1790)

without or seemingly without limit

with greater reason

French writer who portrayed the human condition as isolated in an absurd world (1913-1960)

English philosopher and mathematician who collaborated with Bertrand Russell (1861-1947)

a presocratic Athenian philosopher who maintained that everything is composed of very small particles that were arranged by some eternal intelligence (500-428 BC)

a presocratic Greek philosopher and student of Thales who believed the universal substance to be infinity rather than something resembling ordinary objects (611-547 BC)

the branch of theology that is concerned with the defense of Christian doctrines

involving reasoning from facts or particulars to general principles or from effects to causes

of or relating to Aristotle or his philosophy

one of the greatest of the ancient Athenian philosophers

German pessimist philosopher (1788-1860)

(chemistry) any theory in which all matter is composed of tiny discrete finite indivisible indestructible particles

French philosopher remembered as the founder of positivism

the study of values and value judgments

Dutch philosopher who espoused a pantheistic system

an approach to psychology that emphasizes observable measurable behavior

English philosopher and mathematician who collaborated with Whitehead (1872-1970)

the branch of ethics that studies moral values in the biomedical sciences

French mathematician and philosopher and Jansenist

a Roman who was an early Christian philosopher and statesman who was executed for treason; Boethius had a decisive influence on medieval logic (circa 480-524)

founder of Buddhism; worshipped as a god (c 563-483 BC)

the teaching of Buddha that life is permeated with suffering caused by desire, that suffering ceases when desire ceases, and that enlightenment obtained through right conduct and wisdom and meditation releases one from desire and suffering and rebirth

of or relating to Rene Descartes or his works

the moral principle that behavior should be determined by duty

the beliefs and practices of a Catholic Church

a monotheistic system of beliefs and practices based on the Old Testament and the teachings of Jesus as embodied in the New Testament and emphasizing the role of Jesus as savior

4th-century Chinese philosopher on whose teachings Lao-tse based Taoism

the doctrine that the application of a general term to various objects indicates the existence of a mental entity that mediates the application

the teachings of Confucius emphasizing love for humanity

Chinese philosopher whose ideas and sayings were collected after his death and became the basis of a philosophical doctrine known a Confucianism (circa 551-478 BC)

orthodoxy as a consequence of being conventional

Scottish philosopher whose sceptical philosophy restricted human knowledge to that which can be perceived by the senses (1711-1776)

a philosophical theory of criticism (usually of literature or film) that seeks to expose deep-seated contradictions in a work by delving below its surface meaning

Greek philosopher who developed an atomistic theory of matter (460-370 BC)

French philosopher who was a leading figure of the Enlightenment in France; principal editor of an encyclopedia that disseminated the scientific and philosophical knowledge of the time (1713-1784)

the modal logic of obligation and permissibility

(philosophy) a philosophical theory holding that all events are inevitable consequences of antecedent sufficient causes; often understood as denying the possibility of free will

an ancient Greek philosopher and Cynic who rejected social conventions (circa 400-325 BC)

doctrine that reality consists of two opposing elements

Scottish theologian who was very influential in the Middle Ages (1265-1308)

German philosopher who developed phenomenology (1859-1938)

Greek philosopher who taught that all matter is composed of particles of fire and water and air and earth (fifth century BC)

the state of something that is fully realized

Greek philosopher who was a Stoic (circa 50-130)

Greek philosopher who believed that the world is a random combination of atoms and that pleasure is the highest good (341-270 BC)

a secondary phenomenon that is a by-product of another phenomenon

of or relating to the philosophical study of causation

English statesman and philosopher

power of making choices unconstrained by external agencies

socialist who wrote the Communist Manifesto with Karl Marx in 1848 (1820-1895)

influential German philosopher remembered for his concept of the superman and for his rejection of Christian values; considered, along with Kierkegaard, to be a founder of existentialism (1844-1900)

any doctrine that stresses utility or purpose

Irish philosopher and Anglican bishop who opposed the materialism of Thomas Hobbes (1685-1753)

English philosopher (1873-1958)

United States philosopher of pragmatism (1863-1931)

German philosopher whose three stage process of dialectical reasoning was adopted by Karl Marx (1770-1831)

a religious orientation advocating gnosis as the way to release a person's spiritual element; considered heresy by Christian churches

any supernatural being worshipped as controlling the world

having desirable or positive qualities

German philosopher and mathematician who thought of the universe as consisting of independent monads and who devised a system of the calculus independent of Newton (1646-1716)

United States writer and social critic (1817-1862)

a presocratic Greek philosopher who said that fire is the origin of all things and that permanence is an illusion as all things are in perpetual flux (circa 500 BC)

English philosopher and sociologist who applied the theory of natural selection to human societies (1820-1903)

theology that deals with principles of interpretation

a body of religious and philosophical beliefs and cultural practices native to India and based on a caste system; it is characterized by a belief in reincarnation, by a belief in a supreme being of many forms and natures, by the view that opposing theories are aspects of one eternal truth, and by a desire for liberation from earthly evils

understanding the parts in relation to the whole

the theory that the parts of any whole cannot exist and cannot be understood except in their relation to the whole

influential German idealist philosopher (1724-1804)

a system of pragmatic philosophy that considers idea to be instruments that should guide our actions and their value is measured by their success

expressive of intentions

(philosophy) the doctrine that knowledge is acquired primarily by intuition

the monotheistic religious system of Muslims

French philosopher and critic

religion founded in the 6th century BC as a revolt against Hinduism; emphasizes asceticism and immortality and transmigration of the soul; denies existence of a perfect or supreme being

French naturalist who proposed that evolution resulted from the inheritance of acquired characteristics (1744-1829)

French philosopher and writer born in Switzerland

French writer and existentialist philosopher (1905-1980)

English philosopher and jurist; founder of utilitarianism

a teacher and prophet born in Bethlehem and active in Nazareth; his life and sermons form the basis for Christianity (circa 4 BC - AD 29)

Swiss theologian whose tenets defined Presbyterianism

United States pragmatic philosopher who advocated progressive education (1859-1952)

English empiricist philosopher who believed that all knowledge is derived from sensory experience (1632-1704)

English philosopher and economist remembered for his interpretations of empiricism and utilitarianism (1806-1873)

the monotheistic religion of the Jews having its spiritual and ethical principles embodied chiefly in the Torah and in the Talmud

the act of judging or assessing a person or situation

of or relating to Immanuel Kant or his philosophy

founder of modern communism

British philosopher (born in Austria) who argued that scientific theories can never be proved to be true, but are tested by attempts to falsify them (1902-1994)

United States mathematician (born in Austria) who is remembered principally for demonstrating the limitations of axiomatic systems (1906-1978)

Chinese philosopher regarded as the founder of Taoism

the principle that entities should not be multiplied needlessly; the simplest of two competing theories is to be preferred

an ideological belief in freedom of thought and speech

the divine word of God; the second person in the Trinity

a strong positive emotion of regard and affection

British philosopher born in Austria

British philosopher born in Austria

Emperor of Rome

Israeli religious philosopher

German philosopher whose views on human existence in a world of objects and on Angst influenced the existential philosophers (1889-1976)

German theologian who led the Reformation

German sociologist and pioneer of the analytic method in sociology (1864-1920)

the belief that the world can be made better by human effort

a manner of living that reflects the person's values and attitudes

the Arab prophet who, according to Islam, was the last messenger of Allah (570-632)

a belief in and advocacy of monarchy as a political system

the doctrine that reality consists of a single basic substance or element

French political philosopher who advocated the separation of executive and legislative and judicial powers (1689-1755)

an approach to politics or theology that represents a return to a traditional point of view (in contrast to more liberal or radical schools of thought of the 1960s)

of or relating to Darwin's theories as modified by modern genetic findings

of or relating to a modern version of Lamarckism

having or showing belief in the need for economic growth in addition to traditional liberalistic values

a system of philosophical and theological doctrines composed of elements of Platonism and Aristotelianism and oriental mysticism; its most distinctive doctrine holds that the first principle and source of reality transcends being and thought and is naturally unknowable

a statesman of Florence who advocated a strong central government (1469-1527)

United States linguist whose theory of generative grammar redefined the field of linguistics (born 1928)

a technical system of symbols used to represent special things

a spirit believed to inhabit an object or preside over a place (especially in ancient Roman religion)

the principle that entities should not be multiplied needlessly; the simplest of two competing theories is to be preferred

a presocratic Greek philosopher born in Italy

the attribution of human feelings to inanimate objects

the logical fallacy of assuming the conclusion in the premises; begging the question

a philosophical doctrine proposed by Edmund Husserl based on the study of human experience in which considerations of objective reality are not taken into account

a philosophical doctrine proposed by Edmund Husserl based on the study of human experience in which considerations of objective reality are not taken into account

ancient Athenian philosopher

of or relating to or characteristic of Plato or his philosophy

(philosophy) the philosophical doctrine that abstract concepts exist independent of their names

study of poetic works

the form of empiricism that bases all knowledge on perceptual experience (not on intuition or revelation)

the logical fallacy of believing that temporal succession implies a causal relation

a doctrine supporting or promoting prescriptive linguistics

the theological system of any of the churches of western Christendom that separated from the Roman Catholic Church during the Reformation

the study of origins and first things

concerned with theory and data rather than practice

Greek philosopher and mathematician who proved the Pythagorean theorem; considered to be the first true mathematician (circa 580-500 BC)

(reduction to the absurd) a disproof by showing that the consequences of the proposition are absurd; or a proof of a proposition by showing that its negation leads to a contradiction

the doctrine that judgment is based on situational context

French philosopher and mathematician

English scientist and Franciscan monk who stressed the importance of experimentation; first showed that air is required for combustion and first used lenses to correct vision (1220-1292)

an Italian who was a Benedictine monk

one of the great Fathers of the early Christian church

(Roman Catholic Church) an Italian and the Roman Catholic monk who founded the Franciscan order of friars (1181-1226)

(Roman Catholic Church) Italian theologian and Doctor of the Church who is remembered for his attempt to reconcile faith and reason in a comprehensive theology; presented philosophical proofs of the existence of God (1225-1274)

the system of philosophy dominant in medieval Europe

a branch of study or knowledge involving the observation, investigation, and discovery of general laws or truths that can be tested systematically

a new religion founded by L. Ron Hubbard in 1955 and characterized by a belief in the power of a person's spirit to clear itself of past painful experiences through self-knowledge and spiritual fulfillment

your consciousness of your own identity

Roman statesman and philosopher who was an advisor to Nero

the ancient indigenous religion of Japan lacking formal dogma; characterized by a veneration of nature spirits and of ancestors

the doctrines of a monotheistic religion founded in northern India in the 16th century by Guru Nanak and combining elements of Hinduism and Islam

French feminist and existentialist and novelist (1908-1986)

an agreement that results in the organization of society

the branch of psychology that studies persons and their relationships with others and with groups and with society as a whole

the branch of science that studies society and the relationships of individual within a society

ancient Athenian philosopher; teacher of Plato and Xenophon

Danish philosopher who is generally considered. along with Nietzsche, to be a founder of existentialism (1813-1855)

the supreme good in which all moral values are included or from which they are derived

a belief in forces beyond ordinary human understanding

philosophical system developed by Lao-tzu and Chuang-tzu advocating a simple honest life and noninterference with the course of natural events

a presocratic Greek philosopher and astronomer (who predicted an eclipse in 585 BC) who was said by Aristotle to be the founder of physical science; he held that all things originated in water (624-546 BC)

English materialist and political philosopher who advocated absolute sovereignty as the only kind of government that could resolve problems caused by the selfishness of human beings (1588-1679)

the comprehensive theological doctrine created by Saint Thomas Aquinas in the 13th century and still taught by the Dominicans

the continuum of experience in which events pass to the past

French writer who was the embodiment of 18th century Enlightenment (1694-1778)

a comprehensive view of the world and human life

the capability of conscious choice and decision

United States pragmatic philosopher and psychologist

English scholastic philosopher and assumed author of Occam's Razor (1285-1349)

the trait of resolutely controlling your own behavior

Greek philosopher (560-478 BC)

ancient Greek philosopher who founded the Stoic school

ancient Greek philosopher who formulated paradoxes that defended the belief that motion and change are illusory (circa 495-430 BC)