Philosophy

An attitude in which one sees everything that happens in life (including suffering, pain, and loss), as either a good or, at the very least, a necessary outcome that is entwined with a larger and purpose-driven sense of destiny.

System or entity that not only resists stress and uncertainty but actually thrives and grows stronger under challenging conditions.

Principle that suggests before changing or removing something, it is essential to understand its original purpose and history, to avoid unintended consequences or negative outcomes.

philosophical term originating from Latin, meaning "effort" or "striving." It refers to the innate inclination of a thing to continue to exist and enhance itself. The concept is prominent in the works of several philosophers, most notably in the philosophy of Baruch Spinoza, but it also appears in the writings of Thomas Hobbes and René Descartes.

Logical fallacy in which a difference between two things is asserted without any meaningful or relevant distinction being made between them.

A philosophical and ethical perspective that encourages individuals to consider all causes and actions, and then act in the way that brings about the greatest positive impact, based on their values.

A state in which one is achieving their full human potential.

Hawaiian practice of forgiveness.

Entities that are so large, both spatially and temporally, that they exceed our ability to fully comprehend them, and are often characterized by their non-local and non-linear properties, such as climate change or nuclear radiation.

The tendency of individuals to offer greater aid when a specific, identifiable person is observed under hardship, as compared to a large, vaguely defined group with the same need. Often summarized as concrete images and representations being more powerful sources of persuasion than abstract statistics.

Icelandic term for 'intuition', but can also mean 'the sea within' and more generally conveys a sense of inner awareness and ability to empathize with others from within one's own self.

Intuitive beliefs defined in the architecture of the mind, formulated in an intuitive mental lexicon. Higher-order or "reflective" propositional attitudes are provided by other beliefs that describe the source of the reflective belief as reliable, or that provide explicit arguments in favour of the reflective belief.

The tendency that many writers make claims about what ought to be (prescriptive), based on statements about what is (descriptive).

The cognitive bias that a person's actions are inherently inclined to bring morally fair and fitting consequences to that person, to the end of all noble actions being eventually rewarded and all evil actions eventually punished. In other words, the tendency to attribute consequences to a universal force that restores moral balance.

From the Hopi language for, "unbalanced life", a term that has become popularly intertwined by the US film of the same name which shows a slow-motion and time-lapse vision of society and its relationship to technology.

Swedish philosophy of moderation.

A philosophical problem concerning the relationship between thought and consciousness in the human mind, and the brain as part of the physical body.

An attitude of assuming positive intent, as opposed to looking for alternate or disingenuous motivations.

Term coined by John Keats to describe the ability to embrace ambiguity and uncertainty, and to tolerate the absence of a fixed truth or identity, in order to create great works of art or literature.

A concept in the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche which argues for an affirmation of life itself, despite its troubles and pains.

Dutch term for "to do nothing", but is more specifically "doing something without purpose" such as staring out a window or socializing.

A belief people hold when facing a disaster which causes them to underestimate both the likelihood of a disaster and its possible effects, because people believe that things will always function the way things normally have functioned.

A problem without precedent that does not fit within existing problem sets or models of understanding — the kind of problem "most civilizations would encounter just once, and which they tended to encounter rather in the same way a sentence encountered a full stop."

An artifact in Greek mythology where an object that is originally seen as a gift turns out to in fact be a curse. The only thing remaining at the bottom of Pandora's Box is 'Hope.'

An experimental laboratory in which behavior could always be observed, and therefore modified — ultimately a symbol of a society of surveillance and discipline.

An analogy from the Greek Philosopher Plato in describing reality as a fire that casts light on the walls of the cave, where humans can only see the shadows of that reality. The analogy suggests that the human condition is forever bound to the impressions that are received through the senses but will never know the "true" reality.

A proximate cause is an event which is closest to, or immediately responsible for causing, some observed result. This exists in contrast to a higher-level ultimate cause (or distal cause) which is usually thought of as the ‘real' reason something occurred.

When an abstraction, idea, or belief is treated as if it were a concrete, real event or tangible entity.

Portuguese term that describes a deep emotional state of nostalgia or melancholic longing for something or someone that is absent or unreachable.

Literally ‘single-minded sitting.’ The term doesn’t refer to meditation or to a state of enlightenment — it’s simply sitting without striving.

A thought experiment that raises the question of whether a ship—standing for an object in general—that has had all of its components replaced remains fundamentally the same object.

Refers to a task that is both laborious (perhaps endless) and ultimately futile.

An adage commonly cited as "ninety percent of everything is crap".

A parable from the Greek Classical era of man who is offered to sit in on the King's throne for a, with a sword above him held only by a single hair, an allusion to the imminent and ever-present peril faced by those in positions of power.

A concept in Judaism, typically interpreted as an aspiration to behave and act constructively and beneficially.

A moral thought experiment in ethics where one is asked to make a decision upon seeing a trolley speeding towards five incapacitated individuals on a track — to activate a switch that redirects the trolley to a separate track that will kill only one person, or passively do nothing and allow the trolley to kill the five individuals.

Japanese folklore term that refers to household objects that have acquired a spirit or life force after being used for a long time, often portrayed as mischievous or vengeful.

An expression of the problem of needing something to explain something to explain something, etc., where the expression alludes to the mythological idea of a World Turtle that supports the earth on its back, and then the question being asked of what supports \*that\* turtle.

Putting the community above the individual.

A classic ethical thought experiment and method of determining the morality of a certain issue (e.g., slavery) by asserting that parties to an original position ought to know nothing about the particular abilities, tastes, and positions individuals will have within a social order. When such parties are selecting the principles for distribution of rights, positions, and resources in the society in which they will live, the veil of ignorance prevents them from knowing who will receive a given distribution of rights, positions, and resources in that society.

A philosophical concept that distinguishes between the relative and apparent (or seemingly so) truth and falsity of assertions and hypotheses.

Translated as “the suffering of change”. It's the kind of unpleasantness that comes from losing things that make us feel comfortable or seen.  It's the kind of unpleasantness that comes from losing things that make us feel comfortable or seen. It’s the feeling that hits us when we move to a new place and lose access to our favorite grocery store, or when a teenager moves out to college, or when the hours of the gym change, forcing us to change our routine. It’s odd because even “positive” change can make us feel this way. Buddhism teaches that this kind of suffering comes from a failure to perceive one of the “marks of existence”, namely impermanence (anicca or anitya), which reminds us that everything, good and bad, is temporary.

The Japanese concept of a worldview centered on the acceptance of transience and imperfection.