Concepts in metaphysics

hypothetical internal cognitive symbol that represents external reality

postulated ultimate cause of all activity in the universe

ancient philosophical concept that regards proportions in the movements of celestial bodies as a form of music

entity that does not have a physical existence, including abstract objects and properties

perception of the passing of time

elements of an influential principle in Aristotelian thought

thumb|Edmund Husserl introduced the concept of lifeworld

An epiphenomenon (plural: epiphenomena) is a secondary phenomenon that occurs alongside or in parallel to a primary phenomenon. The word has two senses: one that connotes known causation and one that connotes absence of causation or reservation of judgment about it.

psychological and philosophical concept

Clinamen (; plural clinamina, derived from , to incline) is the unpredictable swerve of atoms in the atomistic doctrine of Epicurus. This swerving, according to Lucretius, provides the "free will which living things throughout the world have". Lucretius never gives the primary cause of the deflections.

Platonic philosophical analogy

defines, among other things, the conditions of identity that make one subject of experience distinct from all others

spiritual belief and a scientific speculation that everything in the universe is fated to spiral towards a final point of divine unification

hypothetical explanation for evolution and development of organisms

Aletheia or Alethia (; ) is truth or disclosure in philosophy. Originating in Ancient Greek philosophy, the term was explicitly used for the first time in the history of philosophy by Parmenides in his poem On Nature, in which he contrasts it with doxa (opinion).

distinction that separates a concept from the objects which are particular instances of the concept

general relation between different objects or individuals

methods of induction developed by philosopher John Stuart Mill

type of logic whose elements are concepts

concept in Cartesian philosophy

gradual quantitative transition without abrupt change

central category of dialectics, said to be related to non-duality in a deep sense

thumb|upright=1.2|Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, Act I, Scene IV by Henry Fuseli (1789)

division of reality into World 1 (states and processes of the external world), World 2 (mental states and processes) and World 3 (products of thought considered as objects in their own right)

ideal object, whose existence depends upon a subject's mind

the doctrine or belief that in the system of things all that happens, the undesirable no less than the desirable, is for the best

idea held by dualists and idealists, that minds are made-up of non-physical substance

concept of a deeper reality underlying a well-formed whole constructed from fully functioning parts, or a relationship to one's literal body

objects in time or instantiations of properties in objects (in philosophy)

Teleonomy is the quality of apparent purposefulness and of goal-directedness of structures and functions in living organisms brought about by natural processes like natural selection. The term derives from two Greek words, τέλος, from τελε-, ("end", "goal", "purpose") and νόμος nomos ("law"). Teleonomy is sometimes contrasted with teleology, where the latter is understood as a purposeful goal-directedness brought about through human or divine intention. Teleonomy is thought to derive from evolutionary history, adaptation for reproductive success, and/or the operation of a program. Teleonomy is

Philosophical terms regarding the temporal ordering of events

Dysteleology is the philosophical view that existence has no telos - no final cause from purposeful design as opposed to teleology.

manifestation of nothingness

term employed in scholastic philosophy to express the absolute perfection of God

possibility considered in a counterfactual

nominalism

Cartesian metaphysical concept

concept in deconstructive interpretation; metaphysics or ontotheology based on privileging presence over absence, which Western philosophy has built, with its language and traditions, emphasizing the desire for immediate access to meaning

Ability to perceive and recognize truths beyond the reach

expression of the problem of infinite regress

concept in classical and Medieval philosophy

Conceptual issue in the philosophy of mind

An unobservable (also called impalpable) is an entity whose existence, nature, properties, qualities or relations are not directly observable by humans. In philosophy of science, typical examples of "unobservables" are the force of gravity, causation and beliefs or desires. The distinction between observable and unobservable plays a central role in Immanuel Kant's distinction between noumena and phenomena as well as in John Locke's distinction between primary and secondary qualities. There is considerable disagreement about which objects should be classified as unobservable, for example, wheth

In continental philosophy and semiotics, poiesis (; from ) is the process of emergence of something that did not previously exist. Forms of poiesis—including autopoiesis, the process of sustenance through the emergence of sustaining parts—are considered in philosophy and semiotics to be the foundation of activity, alongside semiosis which is considered the foundation of the production of meaning.

philosophical concept

a thought object that does not have an equal in the real world

philosophical question

philosophical theory in which the flow of time is only a subjective illusion of human consciousness and that the past, present and future are equally real, without ontological privileging of the present

Moral source from which natural law seeks to derive its authority

concept of infinite entities as given, actual and completed objects rather than non-terminating processes

Philosophical contradictions of Immanuel Kant

fundamental philosophical abstraction; the recognition of difference

attempt to understand the essence of art in terms of a single key concept, such as expression or representation

epistemological and metaphysical dualism in modern philosophy

past and present exist while the future does not

Geist () is a German noun with a significant degree of importance in German philosophy. Geist can be roughly translated into three English meanings: ghost (as in the supernatural entity), spirit (as in the Holy Spirit), and mind or intellect. Some English translators resort to using "spirit/mind" or "spirit (mind)" to help convey the meaning of the term.

state of being present

Ekam is the Sanskrit for "one, single, solitary" (neuter gender), as a noun meaning "unity". In Hinduism, it refers to a concept of monism akin to that of Brahman in Advaita philosophy and Smarta theology.

thumb|right|alt=Image of Martin Heidegger|Martin Heidegger ' (or Ge-stell, translated as "Enframing" or "positioning'") is a German word used by twentieth-century German philosopher Martin Heidegger to describe what lies behind or beneath modern technology. Heidegger introduced the term in 1954 in The Question Concerning Technology, a text based on the lecture "The Framework" ("Das Gestell") first presented on December 1, 1949, in Bremen. It was derived from the root word stellen, which means "to put" or "to place" and combined with the German prefix Ge-, which denotes a form of "gathering" or

philosophical question