What is philosophical terminology? How can I learn it?
Summary: • Terms such as argument, premise, conclusion, validity, soundness etc. • Practise using these terms – try to work out how they’re being used in the course readings Karen: Philosophy, like all other disciplines, has its own special vocabulary. To be a successful student you need to learn this vocabulary. Some of the more important terms that students have particular difficulty with are: Argument: We don’t mean here a confrontation between people, as in “I had an argument with my boyfriend last night”. Rather it is the sorts of reasons people have for believing something. In Philosophy, an argument is typically made up of certain statements ( premises), plus a conclusion that follows on from these premises. As we have said, in Philosophy, students need to make their own judgements about arguments. There are three terms that are very important in this type of activity: truth, validity, and soundness. Truthfulness is the concept we apply when we make judgements about premises; th
