Question | Answer |
philosophy | seeking to understand the general principles of everything using reason and experience |
argument | set of reasons or evidence in support of a conclusion |
conclusion | main point of argument |
premises | material alleged to support the conclusion |
sound argument | valid reasoning + true premises |
valid reasoning | premises really support the conclusion |
mythopeic culture | wisdom passes through telling stories; oral culture |
nature philosophers | -Subject: natural world
-method: reason and experience (math, logic)
-goal: seek understanding
-included Thales, Anaximenes, Anaxagorus, Pythagorus, and Democritus |
Sophists | -"wise" (sarcastic)
-subject: focus on human life
-method: persuasion
-goal: seek advantage
-included Protagorus, Gorgius |
Thales | -1st philosopher
-nature philosopher
-we live in cosmos, not chaos
-585 BC in turkey
-predicted an eclipse
-measured pyramids w/ shadow
-cosmos is water |
Anaxagorus | -nous; cosmic intelligence
-nature philosopher |
Democritus | -all that is presented by the senses is made of particles (a-"non", tom-"cut")
-nature philosopher |
Pythagorus | -fundamental structure of reality is numbers
-nature philosopher |
Heraclitus | -fundamental structure of reality is fire (flux-change)
-nature philosopher |
Parmenides | -reality is consistent, unchanging, but senses change things and these perceived by the senses pass away
-nature philosopher |
Protagorus | -knew how to manipulate people in any given place
-persuasion guy-"man is the measure of all things"
-sophist |
Gorgius | -persuade by arguing both sides of a case simultaneously
-sophist |
Modus Ponens | if p then q,
p,
therefore q |
Modus tollens | if p then q,
not q,
therefore not p |
hypothetical syllogism | if p then q,
if q then r,
therefore if p then r |
dilemna | p or q,
if p then r,
if q then s,
therefore r or s |
reductio ad absurdum | -reduction to absurdity
-to prove p,
assume the opposite: not p,
argue that from the assumption we'd have to conclude q,
show that q is false,
conclude p must be true |
ad hominem | -to the man
-attacking the person of a source rather than their qualifications or reliability, or the argument |
ad ignorantiam | -appeal to ignorance
-arguing that a claim is true just because it has not been shown to be false (he must be a Communist...) |
ad misericordiam | -appeal to pity
-appealing to pity as an argument for special treatment
(you have to let me pass!) |
ad populum | -to people
-appealing to the emotions of a crowd, appealing to a person to go along w/ the crowd (would you jump off a cliff?) |
begging the question | implicitly using your conclusion as a premise (stating the same thing) |
complex question | posing a question in such a way that people cannot agree or disagree w/ you without committing themselves to some other claim you wish to promote (rude) |
equivocation | -same sound
-sliding from one meaning of a term to another in the middle of an argument (the firetruck is russian/rushing, so it's red) |
false cause | -any questionable conclusion about cause and effect |
false dilemma | -reducing the opinions you consider to just two, often diametrically opposed to each other and unfair to the people against whom the dilemma is posed
-overlooks alternatives |
poisoning the well | using loaded language to disparage an argument before even mentioning it
"...still haven't outgrown the superstition that..." |
straw man | a caricature of an opposing view, exaggerated from what anyone is likely to hold, so that it is easy to refute (political cartoons) |
weasel word | -suck out the meaning of the word, only shell
left
-"we will accept any reasonable offer..."
-kind of equivocation |