Glossary of Philosophical and Cultural Terms
Classified in Philosophy and ethics
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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.