Term | Definition |
Judaism | Monotheistic religion of the Jews based on the Torah; Jews believe that they are God's Chosen People meant to live a holy and ethical life |
Christianity | Monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, who is considered humanity's savior |
Islam | Monotheistic religion based on the Qur'an and teaching that there is only one God and that Mohammed is his prophet |
Hinduism | Dominant religion of India based on worship of many gods, including Brahma, and the teachings of the Vedas and the Bhagavad Gita |
Daoism | Philosophical system based on the teachings of Laotzu; followers seek Dao (the "Way") which they believe governs the universe |
Confucianism | Philosophical system based on the techniques of Confucius, stressing moral order and harmony in thought and conduct |
Jainism | Ancient Hindu religion which emphasizes harmlessness (nonviolence) and renuciation |
Gandhianism | Philosophical system based on the teachings of Indian spiritual leader Mahatma Gandhi which stresses nonviolent resistance to evil |
Vedas | Ancient Hindu sacred writings |
Sikhism | Indian religion that separated from Hinduism in the 15th and 16th centuries; Sikhs believe in on God and the teachings found in their hold scripture, Guru Granth Sahib |
Buddhism | Religion originated in India by Siddhartha Gautama, the "Buddha"; Buddhists seek the path to enlightenment through physical and spiritual discipline |
Smartism | Hindu religious community that emphasizes choice in worship of the manifestations of God and emphasizes the teachings of Vedic texts. |
Code of Hammurabi | Legal code established by the sixth Babylonian king, Hammurabi, that covered civil, criminal, and commercial law. |
Book of the Dead | Early Egyptian texts that described the proper conduct needed for a happy afterlife |
Mahabharata | Major religious epic of ancient India and a major text of Hinduism |
Duty-Driven Ethics | Ethical system that emphasizes fidelity to principle and duty over the consequences of a moral action |
Virtue Ethics | Ethical system that emphasizes moral character and development of the virtues as a basis for moral action |
Consequentialism | Ethical system that judges a moral action by its outcomes or results. |
The Virtues | Those traits of character or admirable properties allowing humans to achieve a virtuous life |
Divine Command Theory | Philosophic approach where morality is whatever God (or the gods) command |
The Golden Mean | Desirable middle between two extremes, between excess and inadequacy, as defined by Aristotle |
The Forms | Plato's concept that there are ideas essences (the Forms) of objects or things |
Platonic Virtues | Plato's four virtues: Temperance, Courage, Reason and Justice |
Hedonism | The pursuit of pleasure as a matter of ethical principle |
Qur'an | Holy text of Islam |
Torah | The Hebrew Bible |
Ten Commandments | Moral rules given by God to the prophet Moses, according to the Hebrew Bible |
Five Pillars | Islamic duties of observing creed, praying, charity to poor, fasting during Ramadan, making pilgrimage to Mecca. |
Golden Rule | Christian precept: do to others what you would have them do to you |
Five Great Vows | Vows of non-violence, truth telling, non stealing, celibacy, and detachment undertaken by ascetics in Jainism |
Four Noble Truths | Buddhist teaching on four truths regarding suffering |
Noble Eightfold Path | Buddhist teaching of eight practices (right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration) for happiness and freedom |
Five Great Relationships | Key relationships for Confucianism (between father and son, elder brother and younger brother, husband and wife, elders and juniors, and ruler and his subjects) |