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The Philosophical Journey, 2/e
William Lawhead, The University of Mississippi

The Search for Knowledge

Glossary

a posteriori knowledge  knowledge based on, or posterior to, experience
a priori knowledge  knowledge justified independently of, or prior to, experience
constructivism  the claim that knowledge is neither already in the mind nor passively received from experience but that the mind constructs knowledge out of the materials of experience
correspondence theory of truth  a theory that states that (1) reality has a determinant, objective character, and (2) a belief or statement is true or false to the degree to which it corresponds to or represents the objective features of reality
cultural relativism  the claim that all beliefs are relative to a particular culture
empirical  based on experience
empiricism  the claim that sense experience is the sole source of our knowledge about the world
epistemological relativism  the claim that there is no universal, objective knowledge of reality because all knowledge is relative to either the individual or his or her culture
epistemology  the area of philosophy that deals with questions concerning knowledge and that considers various theories of knowledge
feminism  a movement within philosophy and other disciplines that (1) emphasizes the role of gender in shaping how we think and how society is structured, (2) focuses on the historical and social forces that have excluded women from full participation in the intellectual and political realms, and (3) strives to produce a society that recognizes women and men as both different and equal
historical relativism  the claim that each historical age had different conceptual frameworks such that there are no universal truths but only truths that are correct for a particular age
idealism  the position that maintains that ultimate reality is mental or spiritual in nature
innate ideas  ideas that are inborn; ideas or principles that the mind already contains prior to experience
noumena  in Kant's theory, the things-in-themselves that exist outside our experience
objectivism  the claim that there is one set of universal truths or facts about the world and that these truths are independent of us
perspectivism  the theory that there cannot be any uninterpreted "facts" or "truths," because everything we encounter is seen from one perspective or another
phenomena  in Kant's theory, the things-as-they-appear-to-us that exist in the world of our experience, which is partially constructed by the mind
pragmatism  a philosophy that stresses the intimate relation between thought and action by defining the meaning of our conceptions in terms of the practical effects we associate with them and the truth of our beliefs in terms of how successfully they guide our actions
primary qualities  the properties of an object that can be mathematically expressed and scientifically studied, that is, the properties of solidity, extension, shape, motion or rest, and number
principle of induction  the assumption that the future will be like the past
rationalism  the claim that reason or the intellect is the primary source of our fundamental knowledge about reality
representative realism  the view that we do not directly experience external objects, but their primary qualities (such as shape and size) produce ideas in us that accurately represent these real properties of the objects
secondary qualities  the properties of an object that are subjectively perceived, that are the effects the object has on our sense organs, and whose appearances are different from the object that produces them, that is, the properties of color, sound, taste, smell, and texture
skepticism  the claim that we do not have knowledge
subjectivism  the claim that beliefs are relative to each person's individual perspective
synthetic a posteriori knowledge  knowledge that is based on experience and that adds new information to the subject
synthetic a priori knowledge  knowledge that is acquired through reason, independently of experience, that is universal and necessary, and that provides information about the way the world is
uniformity of nature  the thesis that the laws of nature that have been true thus far will continue to be true tomorrow
universal belief falsifiers  strategies used by skeptics to attack knowledge claims by showing that there are possible states of affairs that would prevent us from ever distinguishing true beliefs from fake ones