The Philosophy
Teaching Library

A collection of introductory primary texts

Time Periods

Key Concept

Revelation – Theological truths that have been made known by means of some religious text, testimony, authority, or experience, or the act or process in which such truths are made known.

Key Concept

Rationalism – The view that the only reliable means of coming to know truths about God is reason. As a result, what we might otherwise believe by means of faith ought to be disregarded or even rejected in favor of what we must believe by means of reason.

Key Concept

Fideism – The view that the only reliable means of coming to know truths about God is faith. As a result, what we might otherwise believe by means of reason ought to be disregarded or even rejected in favor of what we must believe by means of faith.

Key Concept

Faith – The act of accepting a proposition as true for which there is less than demonstrable evidence, which rises above mere opinion but falls short of logical or scientific demonstration. Faith can also refer to a particular religious tradition or the body of beliefs that are central to that religious tradition.

Key Concept

Virtue – a character trait, acquired through habitual practice, that enables one to act well. The virtues can also be thought of as excellences of human character, as they make it possible for us to live a life of flourishing. Examples of the virtues include courage, prudence, and justice

Key Concept

Socratic Ignorance – an awareness of one’s own ignorance, and the reason that Socrates was deemed wise by the Oracle of Delphi. A person who lacks Socratic Ignorance may believe they know many things they actually don’t, leading them to overestimate how well they understand the world

Key Concept

Apologya formal defense of justification of an action or belief. A Christian apologist, for example, is someone who defends their faith and seeks to justify it through an appeal to reason.

Historical Connection

Solon’s Warning

In the Histories of Herodotus, Solon visits Croesus, the king of Lydia. Even though Croesus shows Solon all of his wealth, Solon refuses to call him the happiest man who ever lived because he does not know how Croesus will die

Historical Connection

Priam

According to Greek mythology, Priam was the final king of Troy during the Trojan War. Despite his wealth and political power, he was killed by Achilles’ son Neopotolemus during the Sack of Troy

Key Concept

Virtue

a character trait, acquired through habitual practice, that enables one to act well. The virtues can also be thought of as excellences of human character, as they make it possible for us to live a life of flourishing

Key Concept

Function

The purpose or goal of a thing. The function of a knife is cutting, while the function of a heart is to pump blood

Key Concept

Eudaimonia

A state of happiness or human flourishing that Aristotle identifies as humanity’s highest final good

Key Concept

Instrumental Good

A good that we pursue for the sake of some other good. A common example is money, as money allows us to purchase other kinds of goods

Key Concept

The Evil Demon Argument

Argues that we cannot hold any of our beliefs with certainty because we could be radically deceived by an evil demon. A classic argument given by Descartes for doubting the reliability of almost all of our belief

Key Concept

Philosophical Skepticism

The position that we do not know many things that we ordinarily take ourselves to know

Key Concept

A Posteriori Knowledge

Knowledge that can only be acquired through having particular, concrete experiences. Such knowledge can be gained simply through our everyday experiences, or through more complex means like controlled scientific experiments

Key Concept

A Priori Knowledge

Knowledge that can be gained without having any particular concrete experiences. Such knowledge is typically gained by rational insight or intuition

Key Concept

The Cartesian Method of Doubt

A process employed by René Descartes of rejecting all beliefs that he had at least some reason to doubt