Reason as a Source of Knowledge

Cards (15)

  • Proof of the External World

    Descartes' argument that his sensations of objects cannot come from inside him and must be caused by the external world.
  • Ontological Argument
    Descartes' argument that the idea of a supremely perfect being (God) includes the property of existence, therefore God must exist.
  • Contingency Argument
    Descartes' argument that his own existence proves the existence of God, as the cause of his existence must be either himself, his parents, or God.
  • Trademark Argument

    Descartes' argument that the cause of his idea of God must be God Himself, as a perfect being can only cause the idea of a perfect being.
  • Cogito
    Descartes' statement 'I think, therefore I am,' which is a self-evident truth that proves one's existence.
  • Hume's Fork
    Hume's division of human understanding into relations of ideas (revealed by reason) and matters of fact (derived from experience).
  • Tabula Rasa
    Locke's theory that the mind is born as a blank slate and all ideas and concepts are derived from experience.
  • Argument from the Necessity of Truth
    Leibniz's argument that certain truths, such as mathematical truths, are necessary and can only be known through reason, which is based on innate principles.
  • Leibniz's Innate Ideas

    Leibniz's belief that the human mind can gain knowledge through reason, prompted by the senses, and that we have innate ideas or principles revealed by reason.
  • Plato's Innatism

    Plato's belief that we have forgotten innate ideas, but through reasoning, we can regain a perfect understanding.
  • Innatism
    The philosophical claim that we are born with certain knowledge, which can be revealed through reason.
  • A priori knowledge

    Knowledge that is justified independently of experience and can be known with certainty before experiencing it.
  • A posteriori knowledge

    Knowledge that is justified based on experience and cannot be known with certainty before experiencing it.
  • Rationalism
    The philosophical claim that reason, by itself, can be a source of knowledge.
  • Empiricism
    The philosophical claim that our knowledge is primarily derived from experience and evidence obtained through our senses.