Essential Concepts in Critical Thinking, Ethics, and Organizational Success
Self-Assessment and Critical Thinking Fundamentals
Relationship Between Self-Assessment and Critical Thinking
The relationship between them is that we use critical thinking criteria—such as logic, reason, and common sense—to evaluate the quality of our own work in order to improve our chance of success.
The Necessity of PMU Competencies for Study Assessment
We need the PMU competencies because they represent the main knowledge package required to understand and excel in our studies at PMU.
PMU Competencies
Read MoreCore Concepts of Political Science: Government, Ideology, and Citizenship
Political Science 102: Chapter 1 Essential Concepts
This glossary covers fundamental terms and theories discussed in Political Science 102, Chapter 1. (Source material available online via Quizlet: https://quizlet.com/_21hhf3)
1. Politics
The process of deciding who benefits in society and who does not.
2. Efficacy
A citizen’s belief that they have the ability to achieve something desirable and that the government listens to people like them.
3. Civic Engagement
Individual and collective actions designed
Read MorePhilosophical Concepts of Truth and the Evolution of Life
The Concept of Truth Through Philosophical Eras
Ancient Philosophy
- Truth and Reality: What remains true is immutable, so it is always the same. (Plato and Aristotle)
- Truth as Fitness of Intellect to Thing: Something is true if what is said corresponds with what is being spoken about. (Aristotle)
Medieval Philosophy
- Transcendental Truth: Truth and being are equated. (Thomas Aquinas)
- Logical Truth: (Thomas Aquinas)
Modern Philosophy
- Truth as Evidence: Seeking certain knowledge, rejecting as false anything
Kant’s Philosophy: Reason, Morality, and the Categorical Imperative
Kantian Philosophy: Theoretical and Practical Reason
Kantian philosophy is fundamentally divided into two consistent parts. The first, examined in the Critique of Pure Reason, investigates the conditions necessary for human knowledge. The second, discussed in the Critique of Practical Reason, analyzes how morality functions for humans and establishes a formal ethics based on the practical use of reason.
The Critique of Pure Reason: Limits of Knowledge
Kant’s analysis of theoretical reason starts
Read MorePopper vs. Kuhn: Philosophy of Science and Paradigm Shifts
Differences Between Verificationism and Falsificationism
The two major approaches to scientific methodology are:
- Verificationism: An increased number of confirming cases suggests the hypothesis is true and possesses greater scientific value.
- Falsificationism: A hypothesis is only important if it is deemed unlikely to happen and is capable of being proven false.
Critiques of Falsificationism
Just as theories are falsifiable, observational facts can also be used to falsify them.
Solution: We must distinguish
Fundamental Concepts in Ancient Greek Philosophy
Arche: The First Principle
Arche (or archai) is a concept in ancient Greek philosophy signifying the beginning of the world or the first principle of all things. It can also mean substance or matter—i.e., that which does not need anything else to exist, just the same.
The philosophers of Miletus agreed in regarding substances as derived from a single, natural principle. For Thales, this was water; for Anaximenes, air; and for Heraclitus, fire.
Physis: Nature and Essence
To the Greeks, the term physis
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