Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and problems for Philosophy and ethics

Essential Literary Vocabulary and Definitions Glossary

This comprehensive glossary provides key terms, synonyms, and definitions, structured alphabetically, to enhance comprehension of complex texts and literary works.

A-Z Vocabulary List

Advice

Suggestion, recommendation.

Alone

By yourself, on your own.

Apothecary

Chemist, pharmacist.

To Approach

To come nearer.

To Argue

To disagree, to quarrel.

To Banish

To exile, to deport.

To Be Involved

To be part of.

Blind

Sightless.

Brave

Courageous.

Cell

A small room where a friar lives.

To Challenge

To dare (desafiar).

To Continue

To go on, to keep on.

Crows

Raven (corb/cuervo).

Dagger

A small sword.

Darkness

Obscurity.

Desperate

Hopeless.

Dove

The bird that represents love and peace.

To Drop

To let fall.

To Enter

To come into.

Fields

Cultivated

The Etymological Meaning of Philosophy

1. What does "Philosophy" etymologically mean?

Philosophy etymologically means "love of wisdom". Originally, philosophers were people interested in knowing reality, in discovering the secrets of Nature, and in understanding the reason for the things that happen around us.

The Transition from Myth to Logos

2. Explain the transition from myth to logos.

In Ancient Greece, the way of thinking and seeing the world changed thanks to a group of thinkers called "Pre-Socratic philosophers", who began to devise new ways of thinking about the universe by observing and developing rational theories. This new rational discourse is known as "logos".

Defining the Nature of Myth

3. What is a myth?

A myth is a form of religious... Continue reading "The Foundations of Philosophical Thought and Logic" »

Immanuel Kant: "Doing What You Ought"

Highest Principle: Justice

Kant's highest principle is justice, emphasizing respect for individual rights. Moral rules can be broken, even if it makes people happy.

The Importance of Motive

Only the motive matters. The only morally good motive is the motive of duty, doing the right thing because it is right.

Acting Freely

When we satisfy our appetites, we are not acting freely because we are driven by the laws of our biology. We act freely in accordance with moral law, which is reason.

The Categorical Imperative

The moral law tells us what our duty is through the categorical imperative, an unconditional moral obligation that is binding in all circumstances and is not dependent on a person's inclination or purpose.... Continue reading "Immanuel Kant's Moral Philosophy: Duty and Ethics" »

Key Figures in Rationalist Philosophy

1. Who are the Three Great Rationalists?

1. Descartes, Plato, and Spinoza
2. Descartes, Leibniz, and Spinoza
3. Descartes, Leibniz, and Locke

Answer: B. Descartes, Leibniz, and Spinoza. Their philosophy emphasizes the importance of innate reasoning abilities in acquiring knowledge.

2. What is Saint Augustine's "Confessions" About?

1. Life
2. Religion
3. Nature of Time

Answer: C. Nature of time. He famously stated: "If no one asks me what time is, I know; if they ask and I try to explain, I do not know."

3. From Which Community was Spinoza Expelled?

1. Christian community
2. Jewish community
3. Muslim community

Answer: B. Jewish community. He was expelled due to his philosophical views, which were considered heretical.

4. How did St. Augustine Fuse

Understanding Business Protocol and Etiquette

Types of Protocol

• Official Protocol: Pertains to formal events.
• Social Protocol: Refers to universally accepted social norms.
• Business Protocol: Specific to an organization's conduct.

Defining Key Concepts

Protocol is about doing the right thing, at the right time, for the right reason, and with respect. It governs both internal and external behavior.

Business Etiquette is the set of professional and social norms we follow that dictates our conduct, created to facilitate our coexistence.

Social norms are what we are supposed to do, while social use is what we actually do.

Leadership and Corporate Values

Executive Behavior

Executives set the standard for workplace conduct. A good leader should:

• Set the rules

U11: Count on

to be confident that you can depend on someone. Fall out: to argue with someone and stop being friendly with them. Finish with: to end a romantic relationship with someone. go off: to stop linking or being interested in someone or something. Hit it off: people hit it off, they like each other and become friendly immediately. let down: to disappoint someone by failing to do what you agreed to do or were expected to do. look down on: to think that you are better than someone. look up to: to admire and respect someone. stick together: people stick together, they support and help each other. take after: to be similar to an older member of you family in appearance or character. Compound adjectives: Badly behaved: behaving in a way that... Continue reading "English Phrasal Verbs and Compound Adjectives" »

Saint Thomas Aquinas (Aristotelian Standpoint)

• The soul is the form of the body.
• The soul does not pre-exist the body; it is created by God at the same time it informs the body.
• There is no transmigration.
• The soul is immortal.

Descartes (Plato's Standpoint)

Descartes aligns with Plato's standpoint of efficient causality because:

• He rejects the concept of substantial forms.
• He considers the soul to be a thinking and self-sufficient substance.
• The body is an extended, mechanical substance.

The 18th Century: Julien Offroy de La Mettrie

• If the complexity of a plant, animal, or human body can be totally explained through mechanical terms, the whole world can be explained through those terms.
• There is no thinking self; there is only the extended thing.
• This

Essential One-Word Substitutions

• Culture: All the arts, beliefs, and social institutions characteristic of a race.
• Transparent: Allowing the passage of rays of light.
• Reservoir: An artificial lake for storing water.
• Hives: Artificial centers for honey bees.
• Sculpture: The art of carving figures in wood or stone.
• Horticulture: The art of growing vegetables, fruit, and flowers.
• Aeronautics: The science of flying aircraft.
• Aerobatics: The art of performing acrobatic acts.
• Abroad: Away from one's country.
• Import: To bring goods from a foreign country.
• Agenda: Business to be discussed by a committee.
• Dogma: A belief accepted without question.
• Superstition: A belief not based on reason.
• Cosmopolitan: Belonging to all parts of the world.
• Succession: The coming of

What is an Insurance Policy

It's a contract of agreement between the insurer and the policy holder. It contains the terms and conditions.

The insurer agrees to cover the losses, if they occur, in return for premium payments.

Principles

• Principle of Insurable Interest: You can't insure anything that is not in your name. You can only insure something that, if something bad happens to it, you incur losses.
• Principle of Indemnity: The insurer will only return you the current value of the loss, they will pay you the current value of the object right before the incident, not the original price.
• Principle of Subrogation: Your insurance company pays the money and then they ask for the money from the company that has to pay.
• Principle of Contribution: When