Questions tagged [terminology]
The study of terms and their use.
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In cosmology, what do you call a visual representation of fundamental elements/forces in the universe?
I am interested in learning about various cosmological systems that come from various philosophies and religion throughout history. To understand what I really mean, here's a graphical example:
I am ...
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What is the name of the philosophy that believes one should do whatever they want?
The philosophy in question believes:
You only live once, and you have predetermined desires from your genetics and environment. If these desires are not fulfilled as short-term or long-term goals you ...
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Gnosis vs. Episteme - Is there a change over time periods in Ancient Greek Philosophy?
"Episteme" is the word of choice in Plato, generally (although there are a few instances of "Gnosis" here and there)
By contrast, "Gnosis" is far more frequent among ...
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What stance values non-coercion over preventing harm?
I hold a particular stance, which may or may not be consistent. I would like to know if this stance has a name.
I believe religion is not just wrong but harmful.
I support freedom of religion.
I do ...
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What does meaning-scepticism mean?
I found the term in The Limits of Realism (Tim Button) (2013) on page 2:
We are, then, looking for an argument that forces realists to consider
semantic questions. A natural place to look is in the ...
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Is it easier to prove something wrong than it is to prove something right?
Constantly I am faced with questions of whether something is the right choice or the wrong choice and I am forced to choose. Often, when faced with a problem, I feel that there is a correct answer and ...
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Does anything exist that doesn't cause effects?
In trying to understand the meaning of the word 'exist', I'm asking if there is anything exists that doesn't cause effects. Or is there anything that causes effects that doesn't exist?
If not then it ...
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Is 'a level of quantity' a poor definition of 'real number'?
I was thinking about how we define numbers with respect to their uses, and came up with the definition of 'a level of quantity' which can have a different physical consequence for each quantity ...
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Is '=' a relationship between the objects or their expressions?
The Wikipedia definiton of equality gives it as a 'relationship between two expressions'
This confuses me as when we define mathematical expressions like 2+2=4 it makes no sense to say that '=' or '...
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Why should a person care about what happens to the world now?
Apparently the word 'should' is problematic, but I don't see why. To me it means: "You will be better off if you do this." And, this definition is part of the accepted usage of the word.
I ...
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What qualifies as a volition? Are unconsious acts (walking) volitions? Are things like our heartbeat a volition?
As the title says, I'm not quite sure what exactly qualifies as a volition.
Some sources say that volition must be conscious, so that makes me wonder if things like habits, which are unconscious ...
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Is a variable simply a symbol?
If a 'variable assignment' function maps from a set of symbols, would it be correct to formulate a variable as simply a particular symbol that performs the role of a variable in my language? So when ...
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Can an 'abstract object' be a collection of constituent parts?
When I ask this, the use of collection or set is not necessarily 'mathematical', so if in this case I mean a collection of ideas that encapsulate it, 'make up' the idea in the same way the various ...
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Can 'collections' be 'objects'?
Most things we call 'objects' are generally made up of other 'objects' can we consider a collection, such as a physical collection of objects as an 'object' itself?
If we have a 'collection' or an ...
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Is there a difference between ambiguity and vagueness?
I was reading the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy articles about Ambiguity and Vagueness, and was led to ask this question. Is there a difference between the two concepts? If so, are there ...
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What is the terminology to qualify things that are not reduced when shared (ideas vs physical objects)?
Is there a defined terminology to refer to things:
Which gets "reduced" when shared: for example if I have 2 apples and I give you one, now I have one apple
Which stays the same when shared:...
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What are the reasons some thoughts cannot be simplified, reduced to a simpler set or phrases?
What are the reasons some thoughts cannot be simplified, reduced to a simpler set or phrases? When reading Heidegger or Hegel, one wonders why those authors couldn't simplify their tangled web of ...
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What is philosopher's definition of Universe? And what is Multiverse?
As by definition Universe is collection of every thing in space. So if everything in space is inside universe then why we talk about parallel universes? Wouldn't they be inside the universe by ...
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What is the definition of WILL? (not free will)
I find everywhere people talking about "free will" and defining what "free will" means, but could not find anyone that defines "will" as such. What is (free, or not free) ...
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What are the things that we "value" called?
So I have asked a few question about terminology, as I am here and there considering how to model various things. That brought me to Morality because I was about to define a category of things called &...
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A word that encapsulates the strongest aspects of "model" and "theory" (and perhaps "hypothesis")?
I saw What is the difference between a "model" and a "theory"?, where it says, like Wikipedia says, that a scientific theory is a well-tested and thoroughly researched explanation ...
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What is meant by "begin to exist" in the Kalam Cosmological argument
This question, tbc, is about the first three steps of the cosmological argument, because without those steps, the remainder of the argument just doesn't matter.
As William Lane Craig formulates the ...
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Proper name for "affirming the common ground" fallacy / rhetorical technique?
I'm trying to find the name for this form—I don't know if it'd rightly be called a "fallacy", or just a "rhetorical technique"—where you affirm or reiterate non-disputed premises ...
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What is the difference between anti-teleology and deontology?
In regards to ethical positions, what is anti-teleology, and how is it different from deontology? Are they opposites or is their relationship of another sort?
user59257
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"All there is are cells" as a philosophical school of thought
Like atomists since Demokrit and Lucretius believe that all matter is made out of atoms, biologists since Schleiden and Schwann believe that all living matter is made out of cells.
But since atomism ...
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Does Bayesianism not have a concept of knowledge, given that belief is partial and not categorical?
If Bayesianism replaces the categorical belief of former analyses of knowledge with a quantitative notion of partial belief, does Bayesianism have a concept of 'knowledge' at all?
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Can a collection be a single 'thing'?
Can a collection be any single object in itself, for example Collection A is 'one collection' or set A is 'one set' or even one 'mathematical object' if viewed as a whole? For example a set containing ...
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Are humans and other animals machines?
It has been said that biological organisms are one kind of machine, albeit highly complex ones. But is this really true? To answer this question, one needs a precise definition of "machine". ...
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Intuitively, attributes and properties are similar/the same; what, if anything, differentiates them?
We use words like attributed to and property of, and attribute of, but is there any difference of meaning? Both seem to imply characteristics or qualities of objects but that doesn't feel very ...
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'for some x' statements [duplicate]
What is the correct understanding of the phrase 'for some x' in logical definitions? For example sometimes I've seen it as 'for some (values of) x' and others in uses such as 'there exists some x such ...
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How does one determine the boundary of an object?
Say we have what we would call an 'object' made of many components, can these 'components' be named objects themselves? In the case do we have an object or many 'objects'? Do we define an object to be ...
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What is it called when I forget reasons something is true?
There is a phenomenon that I experience, but I do not know how it is called in respective literature, so I cannot research and read more about it.
I am an engineer, therefore it is my job to ...
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When does 'number' become 'quantity'?
Numbers themselves are simply conceptual objects, but when does number become a quantity? Is the 'cardinality' of a set a 'quantity'? it is a count but we represent it with just a number that we ...
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What is the last definition of "science"? what is its difference with knowledge?
I want to know is there a unite definition of "science"? my guess is "NO"!
What do philosophers means by science that they can't define it?
what is its difference with knowledge?
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Looking for the name of "if everyone is x, no one is x"
Usually when I browse this forum, I see many people ask for the names of fallacies. Currently, I'm looking for the name of the philosophical position that goes something like, "if everyone is x, ...
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In simple terms, what is the difference between logic in mathematics and philosophy?
I want to understand the difference between mathematical and philosophical logic. I actually thought they were the same till I read this post. Concisely speaking, what is the difference between how a ...
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What is the name of the view that math, mind, and matter are all that exist?
My view is that mind, matter, and mathematical objects are all that exist. What is the name of that view? Dualism is the view that both mind and matter exist. So, perhaps my view should be called ...
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General analysis of logical explosions
I've seen the word explosion used in basic logic and deontic logic. The commonality seems to be an explosion is when the 'topic' of a logic universally applies, i.e. everything can be inferred or ...
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What is the name of the view that the world as presented to us by our senses is false and there is a true world behind it?
Some historical examples include the Gnostics, Advaita Vedanta, Kant, Schopenhauer, and countless mystics.
I was just wondering if there is a common name for these sorts of worldviews.
Thank you!
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Hegel's Actual and Real
Hegel uses the terms Actuality (Wirklichkeit) and Reality (Realität) often in his works. Can anyone help make determinations about the relation of these two terms? How are they distinguished from each ...
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Is there an alternative to infinity?
We can say that a discrete set with 1 and 2 allows us to count just from 1 to 2 but a sequential set with 1 and 2 allows us to count from 1 to 2 in an infinite way (1.1, 1.2, 1.3 ...) but no man can ...
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What is the difference between thing, entity, and object? [closed]
What exactly is the difference between the words "thing", "entity", and "object"? Do they all have the same meaning? I think they are the same, but I want to know what ...
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Reference for precise definitions of notations in philosophical theories & books
As a math learner, when I want to read important philosophical theories like Descartes, Kant, etc. I face a big problem that bothers me. Why does no one define things and concepts precisely then ...
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Technical terms for 'House Elf Problem'
There is an informal ethical dilemma known as the House Elf problem, after the Harry Potter slave race who are, universally*, enthusiastic servants who strongly prefer to be servile and be treated as ...
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Should the circumstance for something that happens be decided before or afterwards? [closed]
Which is more approriate?
When event E happens, determined by X,Y,Z, Input is turned into Output.
Or
When event E happens, Input is turned into Output, determined by X,Y,Z.
Where determined by X,Y,Z ...
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Is mathematical induction deduction, and if so, why is it so named?
By induction, I mean this screenshot from this Youtube video
Abduction as an Aspect of Retroduction | Chiasson, Phyllis | Commens
Induction:
The prefix “in,” also from the Latin has to do with ...
user8572
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Definition of 'Identity' [duplicate]
This may seem like a very specific or stupid question, but I'm new to this, I'm interested in the idea of 'identity' and 'identical. I've heard some description of the idea different 'copies' or ...
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Mathematical objects existing as different instances
I have a slightly complex conceptual question about the idea of 'multiple' instances of mathematical objects. In particular Real Numbers, and generally the idea of having multiple instances of ...
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The application of logic to the metaphor of glass half full or half empty [closed]
If there is optimistic, pessimistic, and realistic, what would be the most logical way of defining unrealistic?
For example, the optimistic says the glass is half full.
The pessimistic says the glass ...
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Is there a name for the phenomenon where a system that selects for one quality eventually leads to optimizing that quality at the cost of others?
There's a pattern that pops up in a wide variety of systems - biological, economic, social, etc - and can occur whenever survival and propagation within the system is determined by how well members ...
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