Glosary.

Key words for this semester.

Philosophy: 

a : pursuit of wisdom  

b : a search for a general understanding of values and reality by chiefly speculative rather than observational means  

c : an analysis of the grounds of and concepts expressing fundamental beliefs

Science

a: the state of knowing : knowledge as distinguished from ignorance or misunderstanding

Knowledge

  (1) : the fact or condition of knowing something with familiarity gained through experience or association
(2) : acquaintance with or understanding of a science, art, or technique

Epistemology

 a: the study or a theory of the nature and grounds of knowledge especially with reference to its limits and validity

Hermeneutic

1: plural but sing or plural in constr : the study of the methodological principles of interpretation (as of the Bible)

2: a method or principle of interpretation

Method

a: a procedure or process for attaining an object: as a

(1) : a systematic procedure, technique, or mode of inquiry employed by or proper to a particular discipline or art

(2) : a systematic plan followed in presenting material for instruction

(3) : a way, technique, or process of or for doing something

(4) :a body of skills or techniques

Methodology

1: a body of methods, rules, and postulates employed by a discipline : a particular procedure or set of procedures

2: the analysis of the principles or procedures of inquiry in a particular field

Induction

1 : inference of a generalized conclusion from particular instances — 
2 : a conclusion arrived at by induction  

 

Deduction

1: the deriving of a conclusion by reasoning; specifically : inference in which the conclusion about particulars follows necessarily from general or universal premises

Hypothesis

1:an assumption or concession made for the sake of argument

2: an interpretation of a practical situation or condition taken as the ground for action

3: a tentative assumption made in order to draw out and test its logical or empirical consequences

4: the antecedent clause of a conditional statement

Theory

1: a hypothesis assumed for the sake of argument or investigation  

2: a belief, policy, or procedure proposed or followed as the basis of action <her method is based on the theory that all children want to learn>  

3 : an ideal or hypothetical set of facts, principles, or circumstances —often used in the phrase in theory <in theory, we have always advocated freedom for all>

Objective 

1 : relating to or existing as an object of thought without consideration of independent existence —used chiefly in medieval philosophy 

2 : of, relating to, or being an object, phenomenon, or condition in the realm of sensible experience independent of individual thought and perceptible by all observers 

3: having reality independent of the mind <objective reality> <our reveries…are significantly and repeatedly shaped by our transactions with the objective world — Marvin Reznikoff> —  

4 : involving or deriving from sense perception or experience with actual objects, conditions, or phenomena <objective awareness> <objective data>

 Subjective

1) of or relating to the essential being of that which has substance, qualities, attributes, or relations
2) characteristic of or belonging to reality as perceived rather than as independent of mind
3) relating to or being experience or knowledge as conditioned by personal mental characteristics or stat

Art

1) skill acquired by experience, study, or observation <the artof making friends
2) decorative or illustrative elements in printed matter

Rationalism

1) reliance on reason as the basis for establishment of religious truth  
2) a theory that reason is in itself a source of knowledge superior to and independent of sense perceptions

Empiricism

     1) a theory that all knowledge originates in experience
     2) a former school of medical practice founded on experience without the aid of science or theory

Positivism

     1) a theory that theology and metaphysics are earlier imperfect modes of knowledge and that positive knowledge is based on natural phenomena and their properties and relations as verified by the empirical sciences

Technology

1) the practical application of knowledge especially in a particular area : engineering 2 <medical technology>
2) a capability given by the practical application of knowledge

Idealism
     1) a theory that ultimate reality lies in a realm transcending phenomena
    2) a theory that the essential nature of reality lies in consciousness or reason
    3)  something that is idealized

Observation

1) an act or instance of observing a custom, rule, or law
2) an act of recognizing and noting a fact or occurrence often involving measurement with instruments

Language

     1) the words, their pronunciation, and the methods of combining them used and understood by a community
     2) form or manner of verbal expression

Semantic
     1) of or relating to meaning in language

Semiotic

     1) a general philosophical theory of signs and symbols that deals especially with their function in both artificially constructed and natural languages and comprises syntactics, semantics, and pragmatics

Pragmatic

1) relating to matters of fact or practical affairs often to the exclusion of intellectual or artistic matters
2) relating to or being in accordance with philosophical pragmatism

BIBLIOGRAPHY:  http://www.merriam-webster.com/