The study of terms and their use.
The study of terms and their use.
Questions tagged [terminology]
613 questions
46
votes
6 answers
Is there a term for the belief that "if it's legal, it's moral"?
Sometimes I hear arguments that seem to appeal to the fact that something is morally permissible because it is legally permitted. For example:
Abortion is moral because it's legally permitted. Killing two year olds is immoral because we have laws…
Thunderforge
- 609
- 1
- 5
- 10
46
votes
11 answers
Why is the question "Is there free will?", and not, “What is free will?"
I'm a layperson interested in the problem of free will. I recently started reading one of the popular introductory textbooks to the subject. I'm halfway through, and while the book did describe a few of the most notable approaches to the problem of…
Ram Rachum
- 595
- 4
- 10
32
votes
1 answer
Difference between implication/conditional and logical entailment?
What is the difference between the implication/conditional truth function and the notion of logical entailment?
My naive understanding as a computer programmer is that the conditional is a function on two Boolean inputs, whereas entailment is some…
user
- 477
- 1
- 4
- 8
30
votes
5 answers
What does it mean for a book or a theorist to be "post-modernist" as opposed to "modernist"?
I'd like a succinct comparison of the two "-isms", though I know this is a tall order.
unusualhabit
- 403
- 4
- 6
27
votes
2 answers
What is the difference between "reductio ad absurdum" and "proof by contradiction"?
What is the exact difference between reductio ad absurdum and proof by contradiction?
Wikipedia used to state that:
Reductio ad absurdum (Latin: "reduction to the absurd") is a form of argument in which a proposition is disproven by following its…
loudandclear
- 655
- 1
- 6
- 10
24
votes
5 answers
What, if anything, is the difference between ethics and moral philosophy?
Are the terms 'Ethics' and 'Moral Philosophy' different in extension as terms in philosophy? Some Departments of Philosophy have courses with titles like "Introduction to Ethics" and others with titles like "Introduction to Moral Philosophy."…
vanden
- 1,752
- 1
- 13
- 18
24
votes
8 answers
What do all branches of Mathematics have in common to be considered "Mathematics", or parts of the same field?
At some point in my life I think I've read what all branches of Mathematics had in common were numbers. But then I remembered a branch of the many Mathematics I had when I was an university student, and I didnt remember numbers in it. Then, I made a…
Pablo
- 837
- 8
- 19
23
votes
1 answer
How can we reason about "if P then Q" or "P only if Q" statements in propositional logic?
When you have a propositional sentence of the form P ⊃ Q — which we might read as "if P, then Q" — how can you tell when it is true, or false, based on the truth-values of P and Q in classical logic? When is this different from Q ⊃ P? And what is…
Niel de Beaudrap
- 10,364
- 4
- 34
- 54
21
votes
4 answers
What are some methods of defining things?
In my experience, many definitions define an object/idea by merely listing it's characteristics. For example:
Avocado
a large, usually pear-shaped fruit having green to blackish skin, a single large seed, and a soft, light-green…
Hugo
- 321
- 1
- 2
- 7
20
votes
9 answers
Interpret Bayesian probability as frequentist probability?
It is usually said that the Bayesian probability is a subjective concept, quantifying one's degree of belief in something, while the frequentist probability is the the fraction of certain outcomes when observation is conducted many times (either in…
D.F.J.
- 303
- 2
- 8
19
votes
6 answers
What are the differences between sentience, consciousness and awareness?
Dictionary definitions such as this one often seem to use the terms sentience, awareness, and consciousness as if they are synonymous with each other. Is this really the case? If not, how do they differ? Some books suggest that sentience and…
coleopterist
- 766
- 2
- 6
- 18
19
votes
7 answers
If God is good, why does "Acts of God" refer to bad things?
I've often wondered about the phrase "Acts of God", which is used in legal and insurance writing to mean disasters like hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, wildfires...
What are we thinking with a God that routinely does such things when the usual idea…
Scott Rowe
- 2,986
- 1
- 15
- 30
17
votes
1 answer
How do quantifiers work in predicate logic?
Predicate logic is somewhat like propositional logic, except that where propositional logic only works on the level of whole sentences (e.g. A = "Socrates is mortal", B = "All Scottish people eat their porridge plain"), it allows you to talk about…
Niel de Beaudrap
- 10,364
- 4
- 34
- 54
16
votes
8 answers
When and why do we say that two things are the same?
In a preceeding question I have asked about the foundations of rational reasonning. It seems the concept of identity plays a key role. However "identity" is not observed in the real world: our mind creates identities.
For example if you see a…
robin girard
- 813
- 8
- 11
16
votes
10 answers
How is "time" defined in modern philosophy?
We know the definition of "time" of Augustine of Hippo:
"If no one asks me, I know: if I wish to explain it to one that asketh, I know not" (Conf.).
What is time? Philosophically, what can be said about time in modern times? Moreover, does time…
villamejia
- 287
- 1
- 8