(metaphysics) Specifically, the doctrine of Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) that the fundamental power in the universe is will. (metaphysics) The idea (similar to optimism) that society can be improved through appropriate human actions, or that the human condition is continually improving. [From English behavior: the manner in which a person, animal, or thing acts, either characteristically or in particular circumstances.]. (politics) The doctrine that the course of history is determined by material or spiritual forces not open to human volition or change. Atheism is to be contrasted with agnosticism, which takes a skeptical attitude toward the existence of gods but does not proclaim disbelief. [From Latin intueri: to look upon, consider, contemplate. (politics) A doctrine in political philosophy (and sometimes ethics) holding that the individual’s actions should benefit not the individual but some kind of collective organization (such as a tribe, community, profession, or state). By empiricism is sometimes meant more narrowly a focus on scientific experiment; however, a more appropriate term for that view is scientism or experimentalism. (epistemology) Any doctrine (opposed to objectivism and realism) claiming that truth or value is relative to or dependent on the consciousness of the individual, and thus not objective. This view was sometimes seen as an accurate description – or an inexcusable attempt at justification – of modern capitalism. (politics) The idea that a system of government should allow more than one political party (roughly equivalent to democracy as opposed to totalitarianism). Although the term has connotations of sensualism and emotionalism, philosophical hedonists (such as those in the tradition of Epicureanism) advocate an enlightened hedonism that is often a kind of naturalism. (epistemology) The view that all human beings are liable to error. [From the name of the Greek philosopher Pyrrho (c. 360-270 BCE).]. This ideal has most often expressed itself in a doctrine advocating the total absence of government as the only firm basis for individual liberty and societal progress – a doctrine that some argue animates even Marxism (since Marx believed that eventually the state would wither away). (epistemology) The view (similar to pragmatism) that concepts are merely useful instruments, properly evaluated not as true or false but as effective or ineffective. (ethics) Any school of thought that focuses primarily on human concerns as opposed to the interests of the gods (theism) or the technical issues of philosophy (logicism). One example is cultural relativism, which claims that different cultures have different but perfectly legitimate and equally valid standards of truth and value (see polylogism and postmodernism). Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. According to deism, God is not involved in the day-to-day workings of the universe and there are no miracles. Most of the issues that come the way of our anti hate group Resisting Hate can be broken down into one of four key areas – Anti Semitism, Islamophobia, Homophobia and Racism. Although humanism is often closely associated with secularism and individualism, these connections are not necessary; in fact, humanism is sometimes thought of as a religion of humanity that takes altruism and action for the sake of all humanity as its guiding principle (as in the positivism of August Comte). (ethics) The view that there are standards of value and conduct based on the reality of human nature; another term for naturalism. (ethics) Any theory holding that the individual, not any sort of collective entity, is the proper beneficiary of action; thus individualism is essentially the same as egoism and is opposed to altruism or ethical collectivism. (politics) A form of collectivism that advocates government power, control, or ownership; socialism, communism, and fascism are more specific forms of statism. [From Greek automatismos: that which happens on its own.]. Popularly, atheism is often taken to imply a lack of any ideals or values whatsoever (nearly equivalent to immoralism), but this connotation rests on an assumption that religion is the only foundation for values (thus ignoring the possibility of ethical naturalism). [From English legal: relating to law; derived from Latin lex: law.]. The dialectical aspect derives from Hegelianism, which holds that history proceeds in something like the stages of a conversation, with each stage overcoming the previous stages and therefore coming closer to finally attained unity or truth. However, it is probably worthwhile to distinguish between capitalism and markets, since pure market relations would not necessarily favor the kind of corporate powers that are often artificially protected by contemporary legal systems and political ideologies. Top Ten Worst Things to Be the God or Goddess Of Top 10 Everyday Things that Could Be Eliminated by 2030 Top 10 Best Months of The Year Top 10 Best Holidays Best Days of the Week Best Smells In the World Top 10 Best Emojis Most Annoying Things in Life Top 10 Greatest Things Ever Top Ten Scariest Things Ever Top Ten Best Superpowers Top 10 Best Letters in the English Alphabet Top 10 Reasons … Epicurus held that true pleasure consists in the absence of all bodily pains and mental disturbances, a condition he claimed could be easily achieved through moderation, friendship, and the pursuit of wisdom. altruism). (ethics) A form of humanism holding that the individual person is of supreme value; another term for individualism. Epicurus founded his school in an Athenian garden in the generation after the death of Aristotle and it flourished throughout the Mediterranean for over 700 years. political isms; cultural isms; social justice isms; systemic isms; philosophical isms . Your level of certainty in a belief isn’t related to whether it is a part of your identity or not. (ethics) An influential movement in 20th-century ethics holding that values are not universal but instead that each person must create his or her own values as a result of living life. The result was a kind of reductionism, materialism, or even automatism applied to animal and human activity, which in its more radical forms did not even seek to reduce consciousness to stimulus-response interactions, but simply ignored mental phenomena altogether. (politics) The political theory that an individual’s actions should benefit the community or the state rather than the individual. (metaphysics) Atheism is an active disbelief in the existence of gods, deities, and supernatural powers; in this respect it is similar to secularism and opposed to any variety of theism. (epistemology) The view that all knowledge is a matter of interpretation; a form of relativism opposed to objectivism. (politics) The view that equality is the most important societal (and even ethical) value. Confucius held that the most important, indeed sacred, aspect of life is one’s dealings with other people, and he put great emphasis on virtues such as honesty, justice, and integrity. Because of their disdain for worldly concerns, the Cynics were critical of conventional morality and the rest of society, almost to the point of misanthropy. (religion) Christianity is the name given to the religion and (later) theology that arose among those who considered Jesus of Nazareth (c. 3 BCE – 26 CE) to be the “Lord’s Anointed” (messiah) of Second Temple Judaism. “Isms” develop as a way to se… Through the centuries, several major schools of Buddhist thought emerged (most prominently Mahayana and Theravada) and Buddhist ideas were combined with traditional Chinese beliefs like Taoism, resulting in Ch’an (or Zen) Buddhism. They’re Everywhere." I have far greater conviction in the force of gravity than atheism or vegetarianism, yet I don’t call myself a gravitist. Dynamism is often augmented by the notion that much of the stability we perceive is illusory and that everything is constantly changing or in flux – sometimes called a Heraclitean view of the universe, after the ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus (c. 535-475 BCE). It is non-political and non-profit making. (epistemology) The view (similar to reductionism) that the methods of the natural or physical sciences are universally valid, and therefore should apply to the social sciences, humanities, and philosophy as well. Pyrrhonism) and perhaps also early Taoism and Buddhism, the view (similar to fallibilism) that the most careful approach in epistemology is to suspend assent to knowledge claims and value judgments beyond obvious perceptual truths. Implicit in this lifestyle of self-discipline and self-denial is the idea that the pleasures of this world should be renounced in favor of a higher purpose such as intellectual discipline or mystical insight. Conceptualism thus opposes both nominalism and realism. (system) The self-applied name (usually with a capital “O”) for the ideas of philosophical novelist Ayn Rand (1905-1982), emphasizing reason, individualism, and political libertarianism. In its dualism and intellectualism, Stoicism was an heir to Socraticism that opposed the eudaimonism of Aristotelianism and traditional Greek ethics. [From the name of the French philosopher Rene Descartes (1596-1650).]. Classicism is usually contrasted historically and philosophically with romanticism. (epistemology) The view that all entities have intrinsic properties that can be discerned by reason (sometimes attributed to Aristotelianism but more akin to Platonism and neo-Platonism). … [From the name of the German economist and social thinker Karl Marx (1818-1883).]. [From English essential, having real existence or related to the intrinsic nature of a thing; derived from Latin essentia: being.]. (ethics) A theory and movement of 20th century philosophy that held value-judgments to be nothing more than expressions of emotion (e.g., “Hitler is evil” really means “Boo Hitler!”); an extreme form of ethical subjectivism. (ethics) Traditionally, a rejection of common morality or religion. Although many Marxists claim that in theory their philosophy is a form of humanism, in practice Marxist political systems such as Leninism and Maoism have proved to be forms of collectivism and therefore quite the opposite of humanism. (metaphysics) The view that human beings can achieve perfection in this life; also called perfectibilism. [From Greek hule: wood, material, matter, and from Greek zoe: life. These main categories are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to philosophy words ending in ism, and by no means are these all the isms in the world. [From Greek stoa: the portico in Athens at which Zeno lectured.]. [From Latin probabilis: something provable, credible, believable.]. (approach) Another term for rationalism, logicism, or scholasticism. [From Greek skepsis: inquiry, hesitation, doubt.]. gy The study or doctrine of the Bible and its relationship to the Christian faith. (aesthetics) The principle (opposed by abstractionism) that visual art should represent reality; sometimes also called realism. (ethics) Any theory holding that human beings can or should pursue goals such as individual fulfillment (as in eudaimonism). pandeism – see deism, above and pantheism (under theism) below. (epistemology) Any theory of knowledge that considers feeling to be a valid means of knowledge (similar to but less intellectualistic than intuitionism). Because materialists generally assert that matter can be known completely in terms of physical laws (see reductionism), they often lend theoretical support to determinism. Aristotelianism, by contrast, generally holds that mind and body are not two distinct substances but two aspects of a complete human person (cf. (politics) A movement of 20th-century politics holding that the rights of women are equal to those of men. While Epicureanism was more individualistic than the competing school of Stoicism, its view of happiness was less activist than that of Aristotelianism and can even be compared to some Eastern views like Taoism. In popular usage, the term is often colored by the sometimes-violent anarchist political movement that was especially active in the years around 1900. [From the name of the Greek philosopher Plato (427-347 BCE).]. Most of these literary “isms’ are far more complex in definition, but the list below helps provide a brief context for what each movement represents. More generally, the view (opposed to optimism) that knowledge and happiness are ultimately unattainable; degrees of pessimism range from mild (e.g., Stoicism and, on some interpretations, Buddhism) to severe (e.g., fatalism). [From Latin fatalis: destined, inevitable, necessary, doomed.]. ), [From Latin sensualis: relating to the senses of perception.]. (ethics) The view that particular circumstances deserve to be weighted more heavily in ethical decision-making than general or universal principles. Cosmolo… [From Latin conceptum: something conceived, an idea.]. (general) The action or practice of doing something (e.g., terrorism, patriotism). (religion) The idea that living spirits inhabit every existing thing (similar to but distinct from pantheism). Gravitism doesn’t exist because there aren’t agravitists, who deny the existence of gravity. [From Greek agnostos: unknowing, unknown, unknowable.]. ], [From Latin prescriptionem: a precept or rule.]. (metaphysics) The idea that the external world is merely an illusion; a radical kind of phenomenalism associated with certain forms of pessimism and first posited by Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860). Can western philosophy save the world from the AI apocalypse? (epistemology) The view, originated by C.S. [From Greek sunkretidzein: to combine two parties or positions in opposition to a third.]. There are many forms of collectivism in political reality, such as tribalism, communism, socialism, fascism, certain forms of trade unionism, authoritarianism, totalitarianism, and communalism. (metaphysics) The idea (similar to animism, pantheism, and organicism) that a world soul is present in everything that exists. [From the name of the Persian sage Zarathustra (6th or 7th century BCE).]. [Back-formed from English capitalist, one who possesses capital; from English capital: the primary or principal wealth of an individual or corporation, mainly as used for investment in production; derived from Latin capitalis: relating to the head, chief, foremost.]. The seven “isms”—or in politer parlance, “strands”—will encompass the rights of women, ethnic minorities, gays, the old, the religious, the disabled and the human rights of all Britons. ], [From Latin abstractus: drawn away or out from, derived, removed, separated. (metaphysics) The view that all matter is endowed with life (similar to animism, pantheism, or panpsychism). classicism in aesthetics). (religion) Perhaps the first example of monotheism among the religions of the world, Zoroastrianism held that there is a neverending struggle between good or truth and evil or deceit (a kind of dualism that influenced both gnosticism and Manicheism), that human beings have free will to choose between good and evil, and that individuals are subject to a final judgment and assignment to heaven or hell.