#philosophy definition

• Adequacy — The act of adapting or matching and its result; a structural process or state of exact correspondence, full suitability, and harmony between two distinct elements. In epistemology and the theory of knowledge, the concept (derived from the Latin maxim 'adaequatio intellectus et rei') expresses the criterion of truth through the perfect conformity between the mental representation of an object and its objective reality.
• Non-dogmatic — Not accepting or guiding itself by dogmas, rigid doctrines, or absolute truths imposed without rational demonstration; characterized by intellectual flexibility, critical openness, and full freedom of thought. It represents the feminine form of the adjective 'adogmatic', usually used in agreement with nouns such as method, thought, approach, or philosophical vision.
• Alethic — A specialized term used in logic and philosophy to describe modalities relating to truth, necessity, possibility, and contingency. In modal logic, an alethic property or proposition indicates the structural or logical truth of a state of affairs, independent of human knowledge (epistemic) or moral norms (deontic).
• Alterity — The quality or character of being another or something else; the condition of being different or distinct in relation to oneself or a reference group. In philosophy and anthropology, it represents the recognition and acceptance of the other's identity as a separate entity, conceptualizing the relationship between 'Self' and 'Other'.
• Analects — A collection of selected fragments, maxims, sayings, or parables extracted from the works of a writer or philosopher; a literary anthology. In a major cultural and historical sense, the term (often capitalized) designates the 'Analects of Confucius' (Lun Yu), the collection of teachings, aphorisms, and dialogues compiled by the Chinese philosopher's disciples, constituting the core text of Confucianism.
• Analogizing — Creating, using, or relying on an analogy; a structural element or factor that serves as a starting point or active agent in producing a proportional comparison. In phenomenology or epistemology, the term describes the consciousness, discourse, or mental mechanism capable of associating current images, signs, or concepts with distant memories or abstract structures, giving them a similar meaning.
• Animality — The condition or state of being an animal; the totality of anatomical, physiological, instinctual, and behavioral traits characteristic of the animal kingdom. In a philosophical and ethical sense, the term denotes the purely biological and impulsive nature of the human being, viewed as a primary component that coexists beneath reason, culture, or civilized social conventions, often manifesting through reactions dominated by the survival instinct.
• Anti-rational — Opposed to reason, logic, or the principles of rational thought; contrary to logical common sense or methods of knowledge based on evidence and deductive reasoning. In a philosophical sense, the term characterizes doctrines or currents (such as irrationalism or radical mysticism) that consider reason limited or incapable of grasping absolute truth, emphasizing intuition, impulse, blind faith, or mystical experience.
• Anti-rationalist — Belonging to anti-rationalism, demonstrating opposition to rationalism, or contesting the absolute value of reason. As a noun, it denotes the philosopher or thinker who criticizes logical dogmatism, arguing that the deepest human experiences (artistic, spiritual, or intuitive) cannot be understood or explained through rational formulas.
• Anti-rationalist — The feminine form of antiraționalist; a woman, academic work, or theoretical orientation demonstrating opposition to dogmatic rationalism and contesting the primacy of formal logic as the sole path to knowledge. In the context of philosophical analysis, it describes an epistemological perspective or intellectual stance emphasizing intuition, inner experience, faith, or instinct over cold mathematical models.
• Artifex — A literary term borrowed directly from Latin, used in philosophical, aesthetic, or critical essays to designate a creator, a perfect artist, a skilled craftsman, or the supreme artisan of a complex work. The concept emphasizes not only the quality of technical execution but also the ingenious vision behind the structural process of making a cultural or conceptual object.
• Asceticism — A rigorous moral attitude and lifestyle consisting of the renunciation of worldly pleasures, material comfort, and the gratification of bodily desires, aimed at achieving spiritual perfection, moral purification, or a higher state of enlightenment. This structural behavior often involves severe practices such as fasting, deep meditation, voluntary isolation, and asceticism.
• Aseity — A philosophical and theological concept denoting the structural attribute of a being (specifically the Deity) to exist by and of itself, having the cause or foundation of its own existence within its own nature, without depending on any external cause or creator. It represents the absolute independence of the primordial metaphysical being.
• Associationism — A psychological and philosophical doctrine according to which mental life, higher cognitive processes, and human knowledge are entirely explained by the combination, fusion, and succession of simple mental elements (sensations, ideas, or images) through the laws of association. This movement, historically developed by British empiricists such as John Locke and David Hume, claims that the complex mechanisms of memory and thought derive from connections established on the basis of contiguity, similarity, or contrast.
• Assumptive — Based on an assumption, a hypothesis, or a prior supposition; having the character of a premise taken as true without being empirically or axiomatically proven. In formal reasoning, it describes a deductive mode of thinking that starts from probable scenarios to explore their logical consequences.
• Ataraxic — Relating to ataraxia, inducing or producing a state of perfect serenity, absolute calm, and peace of mind. In ancient philosophy (Stoicism, Epicureanism), it describes the attitude of the wise person liberated from passions and fears. In modern medicine and pharmacy, the term is used as an adjective or noun to designate a tranquilizing or sedative drug capable of reducing anxiety without altering consciousness.
• Self-contemplated — Having undergone the process of self-contemplation; an ego, self, or human subject that has consciously and deeply looked at, analyzed, and evaluated itself. In an existential sense, it describes the state of an individual whose emotional structures and inner thoughts have been illuminated and understood through direct reflexive introspection.
• To self-deny — To deny oneself; to contest, reject, or invalidate one's own existence, value, identity, or one's own statements and principles. In a philosophical sense, it describes the dialectical action through which a concept or a subject transforms or evolves by contradicting its own initial state, while in psychology it reflects a defense mechanism or a deep tendency to reject one's own needs and impulses.
• Self-negated — Having been rejected, invalidated, or canceled by itself; a system, concept, statement, or individual that has undergone a process of self-negation, thereby losing its initial validity or former identity. In logic and epistemology, it describes a paradoxical state where the constitutive terms of a theoretical structure mutually cancel each other out by their very utterance.