Term

Law of Double Effect

Definition The Law of Double Effect is a philosophical idea that people use when making difficult choices. It’s like a guide telling us that sometimes, you can do something with mixed outcomes: some good, some not so good. For the Law of Double Effect to apply, the action must be one that is morally okay, or at least not bad. Also, you must be trying to do the good thing, not the bad one. If... »

Law of Ethical Egoism

Definition of Law Of Ethical Eegoism Ethical egoism is the idea that people should act in ways that are best for themselves. Imagine each person as the captain of their own ship. The captain’s first job is to keep their ship sailing smoothly. Ethical egoism is thinking that the best way for a captain to make sure all ships sail smoothly is for each one to focus on their own ship first. It... »

Law of Relativity

Definition of the Law of Relativity The Law of Relativity is a bit like looking at a picture that changes depending on where you stand. Imagine standing on one side of a sculpture and seeing a circle; as you walk around it, the shape seems to shift and change. This is how the Law of Relativity works in thinking and logic. It’s about understanding that what we take to be true or real can look... »

Law of Falsifiability

Definition The Law of Falsifiability is a rule that a famous thinker named Karl Popper came up with. In simple terms, for something to be called scientific, there must be a way to show it could be incorrect. Imagine you’re saying you have an invisible, noiseless, pet dragon in your room that no one can touch or see. If no one can test to see if the dragon is really there, then it’s not... »

Law of Verifiability

Definition of the Law of Verifiability The Law of Verifiability is the idea that a statement or claim should be able to be proven true or false by experimentation or observation. Think of it like a filter: it helps us separate the things people say that can be tested from those that can’t. For a statement to pass this filter and be considered meaningful, there should be some clear way to che... »

Law of Rationality

Definition The Law of Rationality is a key rule that tells us to base our beliefs and conclusions on solid reasons. Imagine this: you would not decide the winner of a race by guessing; instead, you would see who crosses the finish line first. Likewise, the Law of Rationality says that we should not just believe something because we like the idea; we need actual proof or powerful reasons that show ... »

Law of Uniformity

Definition The Law of Uniformity is a way to think about how things usually happen the same way under the same conditions, based on what we have seen or understood in the past. It is like noticing that every time you drop a ball, it falls to the ground. You expect that the next time you drop the ball, it will fall again, because it has happened like that every time before. This law helps us predic... »

Law of Plenitude

Definition of the Law Of Plenitude The Law of Plenitude is an intriguing concept suggesting that everything that could possibly exist or take place within the realm of possibility, in fact, exists or occurs somewhere in the universe. This means any potential reality, no matter how wild or outlandish, occupies some corner of existence, whether we can perceive it or not. Imagine flipping through an ... »

Law of Parsimony

Definition of Law of Parsimony The Law of Parsimony, also called Occam’s Razor, tells us that the easiest explanation is often the best one. That means when there’s something we don’t understand and there are many ways to explain it, we should start with the explanation that doesn’t twist our brain into knots trying to make sense of it. This helps to clear up the noise and make s... »

Categorical Imperative

Simple Definitions The Categorical Imperative is a big idea from a smart guy named Immanuel Kant. It’s like an ultimate rule that helps us figure out if we’re doing the right thing. Basically, it tells us to think like this: before you do something, imagine if everybody did that same thing all the time. If it seems like that would be okay and not cause any problems, then it’s pro... »