Philosophy & Ethics

Vocabulary for moral reasoning and abstract thought

Introduction

Philosophy provides vocabulary for discussing fundamental questions about knowledge, existence, and morality. These words help you engage with ethical dilemmas, logical arguments, and the big questions that have occupied thinkers for millennia.

This chapter covers vocabulary from philosophy and ethics that has entered broader usage. These words sharpen your ability to reason, argue, and discuss abstract concepts with precision.

Themes

All Advanced Vocabulary in This Chapter (29)

• altruism The selfless concern for the welfare of others; acting in the interest of oth...
• ethics The branch of philosophy concerned with moral principles that govern right an...
• morality The principles concerning the distinction between right and wrong or good and...
• virtue A quality considered morally good or desirable in a person, such as courage, ...
• hedonism The philosophical doctrine that pleasure is the highest good and the proper a...
• pragmatism A practical, results-oriented approach to problems and situations rather than...
• empiricism The philosophical theory that all knowledge is derived from sense experience ...
• rationalism The philosophical theory that reason and logical thinking, rather than experi...
• existential Relating to existence, particularly human existence and its fundamental natur...
• nihilism The philosophical belief that life is without objective meaning, purpose, or ...
• stoic A person who endures pain, hardship, or misfortune without displaying emotion...
• utilitarian Relating to utilitarianism, the ethical theory that the best action is the on...
• deontological Relating to deontology, the branch of ethics that judges the morality of an a...
• consequential Having important results, effects, or implications; significant. In ethics, r...
• autonomy The right or condition of self-governance; the ability of an individual or gr...
• consent Permission for something to happen or agreement to do something; voluntary ag...
• dilemma A situation in which a difficult choice must be made between two or more alte...
• paradox A seemingly contradictory or absurd statement or situation that, upon investi...
• fallacy A mistaken belief or a flaw in reasoning that renders an argument invalid, de...
• axiom A statement or principle that is regarded as being self-evidently true and re...
• inference A conclusion reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning, rather than from...
• deduction The process of reasoning from general principles to a specific conclusion; al...
• induction The process of reasoning from specific observations to a general conclusion; ...
• syllogism A form of deductive reasoning consisting of two premises and a conclusion, wh...
• scepticism A questioning or doubting attitude towards accepted beliefs, claims, or knowl...
• dogma A set of principles or beliefs laid down by an authority as incontrovertibly ...
• ideology A system of ideas and ideals forming the basis of a political, economic, or s...
• epistemology The branch of philosophy concerned with the nature, sources, and limits of kn...
• ontology The branch of philosophy that studies the fundamental nature of being, existe...