Key Terms
MONISM
Reality is fundamentally ONE thing. PLURALISM: Reality consists of MANY types of being.
PROBLEM THIS CREATES
If only atoms are real and unchanging, then neither the acorn nor the oak is truly real. That is an unsatisfying conclus
PHYSICALISM
Everything is physical. The mind is the brain.
ONTOLOGY
The field within metaphysics dedicated to the study of being. "Ontos" is Greek for "being."
NATURALISM
Meaningful inquiry includes only physical entities and the laws governing them. Rejects a priori reasoning and supernatu
SUPERNATURALISM
Accepts the existence of beings beyond the natural realm.
HYLOMORPHISM
"Hyle" = wood (figurative for raw material). Form + matter together constitute the substance of a thing.
ADVANTAGE
Explains substance without positing a mysterious underlying "something." PROBLEM: Without a persistent soul or substance
HUMAN APPLICATION
Our bodies replace cells continuously from birth to death. Are you the same being you were 20 years ago?
ATMAN
The eternal self, spirit, soul, breath (ancient Sanskrit). Always has been; it is not created at birth the way a Christi
Goal
"Know atman" so that liberation from reincarnation (MOKSHA) can be achieved.
BRAHMAN
The underlying force or ultimate reality. Some Hindu traditions describe this as an impersonal force; others invoke spec
COSMOLOGY
The study of how reality is ordered. Cosmological arguments focus on proving a logically necessary first cause to explai
Teleological arguments
Examine inherent design in reality and infer the existence of a designer.
Argument
1. If objective values exist, there must be a source for their validity.