Glossary of Philosophical and Cultural Terms

Monotheism

Religious belief that affirms the existence of only one God.

Multiculturalism

Cultural phenomenon that involves the coexistence of cultural groups, which have very different origins, within the same society.

Myth

Story that incorporates elements of fantasy to explain the origin of a natural or social reality.

Objective Knowledge

Knowledge of reality as it really is, without being compromised or distorted by subjective knowledge.

Pantheism

Philosophical doctrine that involves identifying God with nature. It affirms the divine nature of reality in its entirety. It can, therefore, be considered to be a form of monism. This concept was notably explored by philosopher Baruch Spinoza.

Person

Individual substance of rational nature. Roman philosopher Boethius proposed the definition of this term.

Philosophical Anthropology

Branch of anthropology that reflects on the most essential characteristics of human beings.

Philosophy

A global understanding of reality given to us by a love of wisdom. It is divided into areas such as:

• Metaphysics
• Epistemology
• Anthropology
• Ethics
• Aesthetics
• Political Philosophy

Quantum Mechanics

Contemporary physics theory that states that energy is not released and absorbed in a continuous manner. Instead, energy is released and absorbed in discrete quantities known as quanta.

Renaissance

Cultural movement of the 15th and 16th centuries that advocated for a return to the values and tastes of classical Greco-Roman culture.

Ritual

Ceremonial act that is generally linked to a belief or religion.

Sensation

One of the processes that form our sensory knowledge. It involves a series of psycho-physical processes, which begin in our sense organs when they are stimulated, and end in our brain.

Sense

In the philosophy of language, sense refers to the way we conceive a thing represented by a linguistic expression.

Sensitivity

Cognitive faculty that allows us to receive information from the outside world through the stimulation of the sense organs.

Social Anthropology

Branch of anthropology that aims to understand human beings from a social and cultural perspective.

Soul

In dualistic theories, the immaterial part of a human that gives life to her. Some thinkers describe the soul as that which gives life to the body. Other authors describe the soul as our ability to be rational.

Spirit

Immaterial reality which, together with matter, constitutes the two types of reality that exist.

Teleology

Type of explanation that links studied phenomena, processes, and changes with a pre-established plan.

Theism

Philosophical doctrine that affirms the existence of a supreme being.

Theocentrism

Philosophical belief that places God at the center of philosophical reflection.

Theology

Discipline that studies everything related to divinity, such as God and religious beliefs.

Theoretical Reason

Use of human reason for gaining knowledge. The main objective of theoretical reason is to achieve the truth.

Theory of Evolution

Biological theory proposed by Charles Darwin. The theory states that present-day biological species are the result of an evolutionary process, which, in turn, was the result of a fight for survival caused by overpopulation and a lack of available natural resources.

Transformism

Biological theory proposed by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck. According to this theory, all biological species naturally strive for perfection. Therefore, biological species are able to modify their own organism so they can be better adapted to the environment.

Understanding

Capability of the human mind to make abstract concepts and judgments about reality.

Utopia

The term literally means "no place." Since the time of Thomas More, the term has come to refer to a non-existing society which is proposed as a model with which to compare real society in order to improve it.