Key Philosophical Concepts: Definitions and Meanings
Classified in Philosophy and ethics
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Philosophy
This term means love of wisdom. It is not so much a body of acquired knowledge, but rather a desire for knowledge that gives us a global understanding of reality. It is very difficult to define philosophy because the question of its meaning is also a philosophical question. This is why there is no one definition of philosophy that can be universally accepted. Some of the characteristics of philosophy are an enthusiasm to discover universality, a critical attitude, and a radical approach to finding the basis of the claims it produces. Philosophy can be divided further, and some of the most important areas of it are: metaphysics, epistemology, anthropology, ethics, aesthetics, and political philosophy.
Renaissance
This cultural moment took place between the 16th and 17th centuries. It advocated for a return to the values and tastes of classical Greco-Roman culture, as well as a renewed interest in human beings and nature in general.
Ritual
Ceremonial act that is generally linked to a belief or religion. A ritual invariably involves repeating a series of symbolic actions.
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.
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
According to dualist doctrine, the soul is an immaterial entity which, together with the body, makes up certain types of beings. 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.