Key Concepts in Philosophy and Social Sciences

Philosophical Concepts

Observational Consequences

Consequences derived from a general law, which may not be universally agreed upon by all observers.

Practical Philosophy

The branch of philosophy that reflects on human action.

Socialization

The process through which individuals learn and prepare to live according to social norms.

Freedom

The state of an act not being dictated by an external entity or individual.

Disclaimer

Providing a rationale for an act or event as its author.

Institution

A human group organization recognized by law and custom.

Device

A small-scale institution where specific types of subjectivity are created through practical actions and discourse.

Subject

A being capable of maintaining a relationship with the external world.

Moral

Derived from the Latin mos moris, referring to the term "customs."

Ethics

Derived from the Greek ethos, referring to the "mode of being."

Induction

The process of forming a general body of knowledge from observations that explains a specific set of data.

Deduction

Deriving secondary knowledge from a general body of knowledge.

Positivism

The acceptance of only empirically-derived knowledge as scientifically valid, rejecting absolute concepts.

Paradigm

Structured thinking based on experiments or practice, rather than reasoning.

Rationalists

Those who believe reason is humanity's most valuable tool.

Empiricists

Those who believe sensory perception is humanity's most valuable tool.

Sociological Concepts

Heteronomy

When a rule is imposed by an external entity.

Autonomy

An individual acting according to their own free will.

Verifiability

The ability to determine the truth of a proposition.

Falsifiability

The ability to demonstrate the falsehood of a law.

General Concepts

Essential

Defining characteristics.

Accidental

Characteristics relating to the object in both objects.

Needed

That which cannot be otherwise.

Quota

That which can be otherwise.

Action

Conscious and voluntary operations performed by a human agent with a specific intent or purpose.

Politics

Derived from the Latin word Polis, referring to the organizational structure of Greek city-states.