Philosophy
Filosofia · 606 articles · Principal contributors · All subjects-
Absolute (ASSOLUTO)
ABSOLUTE. - A word derived from the Latin "absolutus," which corresponds, in part of its meaning, to the Greek terms ὅλος and τέλειος, and… -
Abstract, Abstraction (ASTRATTO, ASTRAZIONE)
ABSTRACT, ABSTRACTION. - 1. In general, "a." is the qualification of mental contents, the universal ideas or concepts (v.), as opposed to… -
Absurd (ASSURDO)
ABSURD. - From the Latin absurdus, which in its proper sense had the same value as absonus (from the privative ab and sonus, sound), out of… -
Acatalectic (ACATALESSIA)
ACATALECTIC. - From the Greek ἀκαταληψία (a priv. and καταλαμβάνειν, percipio, comprehendo), it is the impossibility of apprehending the… -
Accident (ACCIDENTE)
ACCIDENT. - Etymologically a. (from Lat. accidere = to happen; Gk. συμβεβηκός) is that which can be said of something but not necessarily… -
Acosmism (ACOSMISMO)
ACOSMISM. - This name was used (by Hegel) to designate Spinoza's philosophical system concerning the nature and origins of the universe,… -
Acri, Francesco
ACRI, FRANCESCO. - Philosopher, b. in Catanzaro on 19 March 1834, d. in Bologna on 21 Nov. 1913. He is commonly recognized as the most… -
Act and Potency (ATTO E POTENZA)
ACT AND POTENCY. - The doctrine of a. and p., with the principles and applications deriving from it, constitutes the characteristic and the… -
Action (AZIONE)
ACTION. - In Roman law, this word (Latin actio) originally served to indicate any act performed in a trial; later, under the formulary… -
Actualism (ATTUALISMO)
ACTUALISM. - It is the form of idealism (v.) that Giovanni Gentile proposed and that, more than the other forms, spread in Italy. It is… -
Adelard of Bath (ADELARDO DI BATH)
ADELARD OF BATH. - English by birth, he completed his studies at Tours and taught at Laon. Dissatisfied with the "gallica studia", he… -
Ad Hominem, Argument (AD HOMINEM, ARGOMENTO)
AD HOMINEM, ARGUMENT. - A form of indirect argument, by which one concludes against an opponent starting from his own assertions and… -
Aestheticism (ESTETISMO)
AESTHETICISM. - It is a designation, with fluctuating boundaries, of a way of feeling and thinking that subordinates reality and the values… -
Aesthetics (ESTETICA)
AESTHETICS. - Science of the beautiful and of art. SUMMARY: I. Meaning of the term. - II. Historical synthesis. - III. The problems of a.… -
A Fortiori (understood Ratione) (A FORTIORI (SOTTINTESO RATIONE))
A FORTIORI (with ratione understood). - All the more reason. One of the forms of the argument from analogy. It occurs when from a certain… -
Agnosticism (AGNOSTICISMO)
AGNOSTICISM. - It is the spiritual attitude of one who suspends his judgment on the existence and nature of the Absolute and of the… -
Alamanni, Cosimo
ALAMANNI, COSIMO. - A renowned cultivator of Thomist philosophy, b. in Milan in 1559 and d. there on 24 May 1624. He entered the Society of… -
Albert of Orlamünde (ALBERTO DI ORLAMÜNDE)
ALBERT OF ORLAMÜNDE. - German Dominican of the 13th century, perhaps a disciple of St. Albert the Great. Modern critics (Grabmann, Geyer)… -
Alexander of Aphrodisias (ALESSANDRO D'AFRODISIA)
ALEXANDER OF APHRODISIAS. - Peripatetic philosopher from Caria and celebrated commentator on Aristotle. He lived at the end of the 2nd… -
Alexandrinism (ALESSANDRISMO)
ALEXANDRINISM. - A philosophical current inspired by the interpretation that Alexander of Aphrodisias (v.) gave of Aristotle's thought,… -
Allievo, Giuseppe
ALLIEVO, GIUSEPPE. - Philosopher and educationist, b. at S. Germano, a village in the Vercelli area, on 14 Sept. 1830, d. at Turin on 24… -
Almeida, Theodoro de
ALMEIDA, THEODORO de. - Oratorian, b. in Lisbon in 1722, d. there in 1804. He taught philosophy and natural sciences, and published in 10… -
Altmeyer, Jean-Jacques
ALTMEYER, JEAN-JACQUES. - Belgian philosopher and historian, b. in Luxembourg in 1804, d. in Brussels in 1877. Having earned degrees in… -
Amari, Emerico
AMARI, EMERICO. - Politician and thinker, b. in Palermo in 1810, d. there in 1870. A complex personality as a scholar, patriot and… -
Ammonius Sacca (AMMONIO SACCA)
AMMONIUS SACCA. - Philosopher who lived in Alexandria between 175 and 242 A.D.: he is the founder of Neoplatonism. As a young man he earned… -
Analogy (ANALOGIA)
ANALOGY. - Etymologically (from the Greek ἀνά "above" and λόγος "discourse, reason") analogy suggests the idea of a relation between two… -
Analysis and Synthesis (ANALISI E SINTESI)
ANALYSIS AND SYNTHESIS. - A. (Gr. ἀνάλυσις from ἀναλύειν, synonymous with ἀνάγειν = resolvere) and s. (Gr. σύνθεσις from συν-τίθημι =… -
Analytics (ANALITICA)
ANALYTICS. - Term derived from analysis. In Aristotle, the Analytics (Prior and Posterior) are the names of the two books of logic that… -
Anaxagoras (ANASSAGORA)
ANAXAGORAS. - Greek philosopher, b. at Clazomenae ca. 499 B.C. He lived in Athens for 30 years and enjoyed the friendship of Pericles. In… -
Andronico of Rhodes (ANDRONICO DI RODI)
ANDRONICO OF RHODES. - Peripatetic philosopher of the 1st century B.C., tenth head of the Lyceum. His name is linked to the edition of… -
Animal (ANIMALE)
ANIMAL. - 1. IN NON-CHRISTIAN RELIGIONS. - In all natural religions, whether primitive or evolved, a cult has been paid to certain animal… -
Animation (ANIMAZIONE)
ANIMATION. - I. WHAT BIOLOGY SAYS. - The philosophical and theological problem of animation, that is, the identification of the moment at… -
Anthropomorphism (ANTROPOMORFISMO)
ANTHROPOMORPHISM. - A. (from the Greek ἄνθρωπος "man," and μορφή "form") is generally the tendency of man to project himself onto the… -
Antinomy (ANTINOMIA)
ANTINOMY. - From the Greek ἀντινομία (ἀντί against, νόμος law) it is the contradiction or inconsistency of a law, which gives rise to… -
Antithesis (ἈΝΤΊΘΕΣΙΣ) (ANTITESI (ἈΝΤΊΘΕΣΙΣ))
ANTITHESIS (ἈΝΤΊΘΕΣΙΣ). - Opposition of meaning between two notions or judgments. The terminology is Aristotle's, in whose works… -
Apperception (APPERCEZIONE)
APPERCEPTION. - Term that came into use with Leibniz (v.), who, by distinguishing between perception and apperception, claimed to avoid the… -
Apprehension (APPRENSIONE)
APPREHENSION. - In philosophical language, chiefly Scholastic, a. (from ad-prehendere, to take, to grasp) designates, in a broad sense,… -
A Priori and A Posteriori (A PRIORI E A POSTERIORI)
A PRIORI and A POSTERIORI. - Technical expressions of philosophical language, of varied meaning. Their origin goes back to Aristotle, who… -
Apriorism (APRIORISMO)
APRIORISM. - A philosophical term derived from the expression a priori. In its most common meaning today, it designates any method of study… -
Arabs, Philosophy Of The (ARABI, FILOSOFIA DEGLI)
ARABS, Philosophy Of The. - The Arabs regarded as faylasūf, that is, philosopher in the exact sense of the term, not every thinker, but… -
Archetypal Idea (IDEA ARCHETIPA)
ARCHETYPAL IDEA. - This designation refers to the supreme and primordial logical form of all things. Philosophers and theologians speak of… -
Ardigò, Roberto
ARDIGÒ, ROBERTO. - Philosopher, b. at Casteldidone (Cremona) in 1828 to a modest family, d., by suicide, at Mantua in 1920. He completed,… -
Aristotelf
ARISTOTLE - Encomia prefixed to the editio princeps, edited by Aldo Manuzio, Venice 1495. in its simplicity admitting no change, "possesses… -
Aristotelianism (ARISTOTELISMO)
ARISTOTELIANISM. - 1. MEDIEVAL A. - An event of primary importance in the development of medieval thought, destined to produce first-rate… -
Aristotle ('Αριστοτέλης) (ARISTOTELE ('ἈΡΙΣΤΟΤΈΛΗΣ))
ARISTOTLE ('Αριστοτέλης). - The greatest Greek philosopher and one of the greatest of all time. SUMMARY: I. 1. LIFE. - 2. WORKS. - 3.… -
Assent (ASSENSO)
ASSENT. - An essential moment of judgment (v.), consisting in the act by which the mind adheres to a proposition, that is, affirms the… -
Association of Ideas (IDEE, ASSOCIAZIONE DELLE)
ASSOCIATION OF IDEAS. - It is the fact that the images of consciousness, like ideas and cognitive contents in general, present themselves… -
Atomism (ATOMISMO)
ATOMISM. - Philosophical and scientific theory that resolves reality into an aggregate of indivisible primary elements, called atoms (from… -
Attention (ATTENZIONE)
ATTENTION. - I. PHILOSOPHY. - From the Latin ad and tendere, it is the convergence or direction of consciousness (v.) upon some object of… -
Attribute (ATTRIBUTO)
ATTRIBUTE. - In grammar it is an accidental element of the proposition and can be a pronoun, a numeral, a participle and, more often, an… -
Autocitisi (Autos 'Self' and Ktisis 'Creation') (AUTOCITISI (ΑΥ̓ΤΌΣ «STESSO» E ΚΤΊΣΙΣ «CREAZIONE»))
AUTOCITISI (Autos 'Self' and Ktisis 'Creation'). - Self-creation, positing of oneself. The word goes back to B. Spaventa; the concept is… -
Autonomy (AUTONOMIA)
AUTONOMY. - From the Greek αὐτονομία, it is, in general, the faculty of governing oneself by one's own laws. I. SOCIAL AUTONOMY. - The… -
Avenarius, Richard
AVENARIUS, RICHARD. - Philosopher and physicist, b. in Paris in 1845, d. in Zurich in 1896. He taught philosophy at the University of… -
Averroism (AVERROISMO)
AVERROISM. - From the second half of the 13th century through the whole of the 16th, those who, in the controversies over Aristotle's… -
Avicebron
AVICEBRON. - Jewish poet and philosopher of the 11th century. It is barely a century ago (1846) that, thanks to S. Munk, it became possible… -
Avicenna
AVICENNA (Abū 'Alī al-Ḥusajīn ibn 'Abd Allāh ibn Sīnā, called by Latin scholasticism Avicenna): - One of the greatest Arab philosophers, a… -
Axiom (Ἀξίωμα, from ἀξιόω «I esteem, judge well») (ASSIOMA (ἈΞΊΩΜΑ, DA ἈΞΊΩ «STIMO, GIUDICO BENE»))
AXIOM (Ἀξίωμα, from ἀξιόω «I esteem, judge well»). - In the sense current today, an axiom is a general principle of immediate evidence that… -
Babenstuber, Ludwig
BABENSTUBER, LUDWIG. - Benedictine, b. at Deining (Upper Bavaria) in 1660, d. at Ettal in 1726. After making his profession in the… -
Bacon, Francis (BACONE, FRANCESCO)
BACON, FRANCIS. - Philosopher and statesman, b. 22 Jan. 1561 near London, son of Nicholas, keeper of the great seal to Queen Elizabeth and… -
Baeumker, Clemens
BAEUMKER, CLEMENS. - Philosopher and historian of ancient, patristic and medieval philosophy, b. in Paderborn on 16 Sept. 1853, d. in… -
Baillie, James
BAILLIE, JAMES. - English philosopher, b. Oct. 24, 1872, d. at Weybridge on June 9, 1940. From 1902 to 1924 he was professor of moral… -
Bain, Alexander
BAIN, ALEXANDER. - Scottish philosopher and educationist, b. at Aberdeen in 1818, d. there in 1903. He taught at the Universities of… -
Baldinotti, Cesare
BALDINOTTI, CESARE. - Philosopher, of the Benedictine Olivetan Order, b. in Florence on 12 July 1747, d. in Padua on 23 Dec. 1821. He was… -
Balmes, Jaime
BALMES, JAIME. - Philosopher, apologist, sociologist and politician, b. at Vich, in Catalonia, on 28 Aug. 1810, and d. there on 9 July… -
Barberis, Alberto
BARBERIS, ALBERTO. - Neo-Scholastic philosopher, of the Congregation of the Mission, b. in Monferrato on 14 Jan. 1847, d. in Piacenza at… -
Barbo, Paolo
BARBO, PAOLO. - Philosopher and theologian, b. at Soncino (Crema) and therefore also called Soncinas. Having entered the Dominicans while… -
Bardili, Christoph Gottfried
BARDILI, CHRISTOPH GOTTFRIED. - German philosopher, b. at Blaubeuren in Württemberg on 18 May 1761, d. at Mergelstetten on 5 June 1808. He… -
Barthélemy-Saint-Hilaire, Jules (BARTHELEMY-SAINT-HILAIRE, JULES)
BARTHÉLEMY-SAINT-HILAIRE, JULES. - Philosopher and politician, b. in Paris on 19 Aug. 1805, d. there on 24 Nov. 1895. He was a conformist… -
Barzellotti, Giacomo
BARZELLOTTI, GIACOMO. - Philosopher, b. in Florence in 1844, d. in Rome in 1917. He taught at Pisa and at Rome. A pupil of Mamiani, in part… -
Bayle, Pierre
BAYLE, PIERRE. - Protestant philosopher and man of letters, b. at Carla (Ariège) on 18 Nov. 1647, d. at Rotterdam on 28 Dec. 1706. In 1669… -
Becher, Erich
BECHER, ERICH. - German philosopher, b. in Reinshagen (Remscheid) on Sept. 1, 1882, d. Jan. 5, 1929 in Munich, where he had been a… -
Becoming (DIVENIRE)
BECOMING. - In the strict sense it is the coming into being of a being or of any of its determinations, as opposed to perishing or falling… -
Behavior (COMPORTAMENTO)
BEHAVIOR. - It may be defined as the practical attitude that the animal and man assume in the concrete situations of life. It therefore… -
Being, Entity (ENTE, ESSERE)
BEING, ENTITY. - In ordinary language they can be synonyms. In philosophical reflection they are usually taken as concrete and abstract:… -
Beneke, Friedrich Eduard
BENEKE, FRIEDRICH EDUARD. - Philosopher, b. in Berlin on 17 February 1798, d. there on 1 March 1854. B.'s work, spiritually connected with… -
Bentham, Jeremy
BENTHAM, JEREMY. - Philosopher and jurist, b. in London on 15 Feb. 1748, d. there on 6 June 1832. He was of a very precocious intellect, so… -
Bergson, Henri
BERGSON, HENRI. - Philosopher, b. in Paris on 18 Oct. 1859 to a Jewish family of Irish origin, d. there on 4 Jan. 1941. A pupil of… -
Biester, Johann Erich
BIESTER, JOHANN ERICH. - Philosopher, b. in Lübeck on 17 Nov. 1749, d. in Berlin on 20 Febr. 1816. He belonged to the circle of Mendelssohn… -
Blondel, Maurice
BLONDEL, MAURICE. - Philosopher, b. at Dijon on 2 Nov. 1861, d. at Aix-en-Provence on 5 June 1949. From 1897 professor of Philosophy at the… -
Blount, Charles
BLOUNT, CHARLES. - English deist, b. in 1654, d. in 1693. A rigidly rationalist critic, he devalued every criterion of apologetics of the… -
Body (CORPO)
BODY. - In general, a body is a sensible material reality. In experimental science, a body is a portion of matter with determinate specific… -
Boethius, Anicius Manlius Torquatus Severinus (BOEZIO, ANICIO MANLIO TORQUATO SEVERINO)
BOETHIUS, ANICIUS MANLIUS TORQUATUS SEVERINUS. - I. LIFE. - B. was born in Rome of the noble stock of the Anicii, around the year 480, when… -
Böhme, Jacob
BÖHME, JACOB. - Protestant theosophist, b. at Altseidenberg in 1575, d. at Görlitz in 1624. A shoemaker, at first a wanderer, he settled in… -
Bonatelli, Francesco
BONATELLI, FRANCESCO. - Spiritualist philosopher, b. at Iseo on 25 April 1830, d. on 13 May 1911 at Padua, where he taught at the… -
Bonnet, Charles
BONNET, CHARLES. - Psychologist and naturalist, b. in Geneva on 13 March 1720, d. there on 20 June 1793. A complex figure whose works… -
Bonnetty, Augustin
BONNETTY, AUGUSTIN. - French philosopher and historian, b. at Entrevaux on 9 April 1798, d. at Paris on 29 March 1879. In 1830 he founded… -
Borrelli, Pasquale
BORRELLI, PASQUALE. - Philosopher, b. at Tornareccio (Chieti) on 8 June 1782, d. at Naples in 1849. He had a very eventful and adventurous… -
Bosanquet, Bernard
BOSANQUET, BERNARD. - Philosopher, b. in Northumberland on 14 June 1848, d. on 8 Feb. 1923 in London, where he lived continuously from 1881… -
Boström, Christopher Jacob
BOSTRÖM, CHRISTOPHER JACOB. - Swedish philosopher, b. at Piteå in 1797, d. at Uppsala, where he was a professor, in 1866. Though following… -
Boutroux, Étienne-Émile-Marie (BOUTROUX, ETIENNE-EMILE-MARIE)
BOUTROUX, ÉTIENNE-ÉMILE-MARIE. - French philosopher, b. at Montrouge (Seine) on 28 July 1845 and d. at Paris on 23 Nov. 1921. After… -
Bovio, Giovanni
BOVIO, GIOVANNI. - Thinker and politician, b. at Trani in 1837, d. at Naples on 15 April 1903. In his time he was one of the most prominent… -
Bradley, Francis Herbert
BRADLEY, FRANCIS HERBERT. - English philosopher, b. at Glasbury (Wales) on 30 Jan. 1846 and d. at Oxford on 18 Sept. 1924. He is the last… -
Brentano, Franz
BRENTANO, FRANZ. - Philosopher, b. at Marienberg near Boppard on the Rhine on 16 January 1838 into a Catholic family of Italian origin, d.… -
Bruno, Giordano
BRUNO, GIORDANO. - Philosopher and man of letters, in the world FILIPPO, b. at Nola (Naples) in 1548, d. at Rome in 1600. Having completed… -
Büchner, Ludwig
BÜCHNER, LUDWIG. - German philosopher, b. in Darmstadt on 29 March 1824, d. there on 1 May 1899. A physician, he came under the influence… -
Busnelli, Giovanni
BUSNELLI, GIOVANNI. - Writer, born at Cassina Ferrara (Milan) on 16 March 1866, died at Rome on 31 March 1944. Having completed his sacred… -
Buzzetti, Vincenzo
BUZZETTI, VINCENZO. - First and principal promoter, at the beginning of the last century, of the revival of Thomistic philosophy in Italy.… -
Cabanis, Pierre-Jean-Georges
CABANIS, PIERRE-JEAN-GEORGES. - Physician and philosopher, b. at Cosnac (Corrèze) on June 5, 1757, d. at Rueil on May 5, 1808. He began his… -
Cahiers des Archives de Philosophie
CAHIERS DES ARCHIVES DE PHILOSOPHIE. - Founded in Paris in 1923. Each issue, which has no fixed periodicity, deals with a historical or… -
Caird, Edward
CAIRD, EDWARD. - English philosopher, b. at Greenock (Scotland) on 22 March 1835, d. at Oxford on 1 Nov. 1908. He held the chair of moral… -
Campailla, Tommaso
CAMPAILLA, TOMMASO. - Naturalist and philosopher, b. at Modica (Ragusa) in 1668, d. there in 1740. > (by courtesy of Dr. D. Degenhart) >… -
Campanella, Tommaso
CAMPANELLA, TOMMASO. - Life and works. - Giovanni Domenico C. was born at Stilo, in Calabria, on 5 September 1568; he entered the Dominican… -
Canella, Giulio
CANELLA, GIULIO. - Neo-Scholastic philosopher, b. in Padua on 5 Dec. 1881, missing in action in Macedonia on 25 Nov. 1916. He studied in… -
Cantoni, Carlo
CANTONI, CARLO. - Philosopher, b. at Groppello Cairoli (Pavia) on 12 April 1840, d. at Pavia on 11 September 1906. He studied at Turin and… -
Carabellese, Pantaleo
CARABELLESE, PANTALEO. - Philosopher, b. at Molfetta (Bari) on 6 July 1877, d. at Genoa on 19 Sept. 1948. First a professor at the… -
Cardano, Girolamo
CARDANO, GIROLAMO. - Physician and philosopher, b. at Pavia on 24 Sept. 1501, d. at Rome on 21 Sept. 1576. A typical representative of the… -
Caro, Edmé-Marie (CARO, EDME-MARIE)
CARO, EDMÉ-MARIE. - Philosopher, b. at Poitiers on 4 March 1826, d. at Paris on 13 July 1887. A brilliant mind and a forceful polemicist,… -
Case (CASO)
CASE. - Those rare events are attributed to chance which, although unforeseen and unforeseeable, nevertheless display a certain finalistic… -
Category (CATEGORIA)
CATEGORY. - Originally it was the "accusation," that is, the judicial action opposed to "apology," according to Aristotle (Rhet., I, 3,… -
Catharsis (CATARSI)
CATHARSIS. - Greek word (κάθαρσις, synonym καθαρμός), meaning "purification", which, originally proper to religious language, was used by… -
Cause (CAUSA)
CAUSE. - I. NOTION. - According to the most reliable etymology, the first scientific application of the concept of c. would have been in… -
Celesia, Paolo
CELESIA, PAOLO. - Biologist and thinker, b. in Genoa on 3 April 1876, d. in Rome on 12 June 1916. Having graduated in natural sciences, he… -
Certainty (CERTEZZA)
CERTAINTY. - From cernere, to sift, to discern, certainty is, in the proper sense, the mental state of firm adherence to a proposition. St.… -
Cesalpino, Andrea
CESALPINO, ANDREA. - Philosopher and naturalist, b. at Arezzo in 1519, d. at Rome on 23 February 1603. He taught medicine at the University… -
Chiapelli, Alessandro (CHIAPPELLI, ALESSANDRO)
CHIAPELLI, ALESSANDRO. - Philosopher, b. at Pistoia on 20 Nov. 1857, professor at Naples from 1887 to 1908, d. there in 1931. A… -
Chinazzi, Giuseppe
CHINAZZI, GIUSEPPE. - Philosopher and politician, b. at Oviglio in 1839, d. at Genoa in 1897. He was first an officer in the Piedmontese… -
Christian Spiritualism (SPIRITUALISMO CRISTIANO)
CHRISTIAN SPIRITUALISM. - One of the main currents of contemporary Italian philosophy. It is called "s." because the concept of "spirit"… -
Cicero, Marcus Tullius (CICERONE, MARCO TULLIO)
CICERO, MARCUS TULLIUS. - Roman orator, politician and philosopher, b. 3 January 106 B.C. at Arpino, d. by the hand of Antony's assassins… -
Clarke, Samuel
CLARKE, SAMUEL. - Anglican theologian and philosopher, b. in Norwich on 11 Oct. 1675, d. in London on 17 May 1729. His writings were edited… -
Cocconier, Thomas (COCONNIER, THOMAS)
COCCONIER, THOMAS. - Dominican philosopher and theologian, b. at Grazay near Mayenne in France, 26 Aug. 1846, d. at Toulouse 8 March 1908.… -
Cogitativa
COGITATIVA. - In Thomist psychology the c. is that one among the internal senses which collaborates most directly with the intellect; and… -
Cohen, Hermann
COHEN, HERMANN. - German philosopher, b. at Goswig on July 4, 1842, d. at Berlin on Apr. 4, 1918. He taught from 1879 to 1912 at the… -
Coimbra, Leonardo
COIMBRA, LEONARDO. - Portuguese philosopher and politician, b. in the district of Felgueiras on 30 Dec. 1883, d. in an automobile accident… -
Colecchi, Ottavio
COLECCHI, OTTAVIO. - Philosopher, b. at Pescocostanzo (Aquila) on 18 Oct. 1773, d. at Naples on 25 Aug. 1847. Ordained a priest in the… -
Collier, Arthur
COLLIER, ARTHUR. - English philosopher and priest of the Anglican Church, b. in 1680, d. in 1732. A contemporary of Berkeley, with whom he… -
Collins, Anthony
COLLINS, ANTHONY. - English deist, b. at Heston on 21 June 1676, d. in London on 31 Dec. 1729. A friend and disciple of Locke, he defended… -
Common Sense (SENSO COMUNE)
COMMON SENSE. - The expression has two principal meanings in philosophy, one psychological, the other epistemological. In psychology,… -
Compound (COMPOSTO)
COMPOUND. - A compound is that reality in which parts can be distinguished. It can be an aggregate of several ontologically distinct and… -
Concept (CONCETTO)
CONCEPT. - Etymologically from concipere, cum-capere, to conceive, to comprehend, the c. is the intellectual expression of reality in… -
Conceptualism (CONCETTUALISMO)
CONCEPTUALISM. - It is the doctrine that denies to general ideas (universals) an objective correspondence in reality, affirming them as… -
Concrete (CONCRETO)
CONCRETE. - In opposition to abstract (v.), which is the mental universal, concrete is the real singular, above all the individual of… -
Condillac, Étienne Bonnot de (CONDILLAC, ETIENNE BONNOT DE)
CONDILLAC, ÉTIENNE BONNOT DE. - Philosopher and educationist, b. at Grenoble on 30 Sept. 1715, d. at Flux in the Orléanais in 1780. He was… -
Condition (CONDIZIONE)
CONDITION. - A very vague term, usually used in relation to that of cause (v.). While the cause has a positive influence in the production… -
Conimbricenses
CONIMBRICENSES. - This is the name given to those Jesuits, professors of philosophy at the University of Coimbra who, between the last… -
Conscience (COSCIENZA)
CONSCIENCE. - I. PHILOSOPHY. - In its etymological meaning (from Lat. cum-scientia, conscience συν-εἰδησις = common knowledge,… -
Constantine the African (COSTANTINO AFRICANO)
CONSTANTINE THE AFRICAN. - Carthaginian Benedictine, converted from Islam, translator of Arabic and Greek works, d. 1087. For 39 years he… -
Conti, Augusto
CONTI, AUGUSTO. - Man of letters, historian, philosopher and politician, b. at S. Pietro alle Fonti, near S. Miniato al Tedesco, on 6 Dec.… -
Contingency (CONTINGENZA)
CONTINGENCY. - In its generic meaning, c. is the happening "both necessary and not necessary or possible" (Aristotle, Anal. Pr., I, 3, 25 a… -
Continuous (CONTINUO)
CONTINUOUS. - The notion of the continuum is connected with that of extension, which is a primitive concept not susceptible of a true… -
Contradiction (CONTRADDIZIONE)
CONTRADICTION. - The relation of opposition existing between the affirmation and the denial of one and the same predicate in relation to… -
Cornoldi, Giovanni
CORNOLDI, GIOVANNI. - Jesuit, one of the principal restorers of Thomism in Italy, b. in Venice on 29 Sept. 1822, d. in Rome on 18 Jan.… -
Cosmology (COSMOLOGIA)
COSMOLOGY. - From the Greek κόσμος (world) and λόγος (discourse), it is the part of natural philosophy that studies corporeal being in… -
Cousin, Victor
COUSIN, VICTOR. - Philosopher, b. in Paris on 28 Nov. 1792, d. at Cannes on 14 Jan. 1867. He taught at the École Normale from 1814 to 1820,… -
Cowton (de Couton), Robert
COWTON (de COUTON), ROBERT. - English philosopher, Franciscan. The life and doctrine of C. are too little known for one to have an exact… -
Credenza
CREDENZA. - In its general and broadest meaning, to believe is to accept a proposition, a fact, a doctrine, not on account of their… -
Cremonini, Cesare
CREMONINI, CESARE. - Philosopher, b. at Cento in 1550 or 1552, d. in 1631. After having taught at Ferrara, he was a colleague of Galileo at… -
Criterion (CRITERIO)
CRITERION. - From the Greek κριτήριον, it is generally a norm or rule for recognizing, discerning (κρίνω = "I judge, I discern") a thing, a… -
Criticism (CRITICISMO)
CRITICISM. - In a general sense, "criticism" denotes any philosophical system or tendency that, before constructing a metaphysics of the… -
Crusius, Christian August
CRUSIUS, CHRISTIAN AUGUST. - Protestant philosopher and theologian, b. at Lenau (Saxony) on 10 Jan. 1715, d. there on 18 Oct. 1775. In… -
Cynics (CINICI)
CYNICS. - A Greek philosophical sect, founded by Antisthenes, one of the four that arose from the teaching of Socrates. The name means… -
Cyrenaics (CIRENAICI)
CYRENAICS. - Greek philosophical sect, founded by Aristippus of Cyrene (hence the name), one of the four that arose from the teaching of… -
Czolbe, Heinrich
CZOLBE, HEINRICH. - German philosopher, b. in Königsberg on 30 Dec. 1819, d. there on 19 Feb. 1873. He belongs to the school of materialist… -
D'Acquisto, Benedetto
D'ACQUISTO, BENEDETTO. - Philosopher, b. at Monreale in 1790, d. there on 7 Aug. 1867. A Franciscan, he passed through all the ranks of his… -
David the Armenian (DAVIDE ARMENO)
DAVID THE ARMENIAN. - Christian Neoplatonic philosopher, b. in Armenia (province of Hark), unknown, or almost so, in the West until the… -
Deduction (DEDUZIONE)
DEDUCTION. - It may be understood in different ways: a) In a generic sense, which is also the one immediately suggested by the term,… -
Definition (DEFINIZIONE)
DEFINITION. - As a logical function, definition (definire: to delimit, to set the boundaries) is the act by which thought clarifies and… -
Deism (DEISMO)
DEISM. - Etymologically d. (from Deus) is identical with theism (from Reis) but its philosophical and historical sense is different. The… -
Delbos, Esteban-Marie-Victor (DELBOS, ESTÉBAN-MARIE-VICTOR)
DELBOS, ESTEBAN-MARIE-VICTOR. - Philosopher, b. at Figeac (Lot) on 26 Sept. 1862, d. at Paris on 16 June 1916. Professor from 1886 in… -
De Mandato, Pio
DE MANDATO, PIO. - Jesuit, b. in Naples on 11 Dec. 1850, d. in Rome on 11 Apr. 1914. He devoted a great part of his activity to the… -
De Maria, Michele
DE MARIA, MICHELE. - Jesuit, b. at Cervinara (Avellino) on 8 February 1836, d. at Rome on 16 February 1913. He was professor of philosophy… -
Democritus (DEMOCRITO)
DEMOCRITUS. - Greek philosopher, b. at Abdera (Thrace) ca. 460 B.C., d. there at the age of 109. He traveled within the Greek world and,… -
Demonstration (DIMOSTRAZIONE)
DEMONSTRATION. - From de-monstrare, to show, to make seen, with a sense of derivation. In a broad sense, a demonstration is any argument by… -
Deontology (DEONTOLOGIA)
DEONTOLOGY. - From τὸ ἄξον, "duty": the science of duties. It is the title of Bentham's posthumous work, Deontology or the science of… -
De Ruggiero, Guido
DE RUGGIERO, GUIDO. - Historian of philosophy and publicist, b. in Naples on March 23, 1888, d. in Rome on Dec. 29, 1948. Professor of the… -
De Sarlo, Francesco
DE SARLO, FRANCESCO. - Philosopher, b. at S. Chirico Raparo (Potenza) on 15 Feb. 1854, d. at Florence on 14 Jan. 1937. He began as a… -
Destutt de Tracy, Antoine-Louis-Claude
DESTUTT de TRACY, ANTOINE-LOUIS-CLAUDE. - Politician and philosopher, b. in Paris on 10 June 1754, d. there on 10 March 1836. He adhered to… -
Determinism (DETERMINISMO)
DETERMINISM. - It is the conception of a strict, necessary and inevitable dependence among the elements of a process of becoming that stand… -
Deutinger, Martin
DEUTINGER, MARTIN. - Philosopher, b. at Langenpreising (Upper Bavaria) on 24 March 1815, d. at Pfäfers (Switzerland) on 9 September 1864.… -
De Wulf, Maurice
DE WULF, MAURICE. - Distinguished historian of medieval philosophy, b. at Poperinge in Belgium on 6 April 1867 and d. there on 23 December… -
Dialectic (DIALETTICA)
DIALECTIC. - From διαλέγομαι, I discourse. Of frequent use in philosophy, it carries quite different meanings. In the sense that is still… -
Diderot, Denis
DIDEROT, DENIS. - Philosopher, b. at Langres (Champagne) on 5 Oct. 1713, d. at Paris on 30 July 1784. Destined by his father for the… -
Di Giovanni, Vincenzo
DI GIOVANNI, VINCENZO. - Historian and philosopher, priest, b. at Salapante (Trapani) in 1832, d. there in 1903. He was professor of… -
Dilemma
DILEMMA. - From δὶς λῆμμα (double assumption), a form of reasoning in which from two or more members of a disjunctive premise one draws… -
Dilthey, Wilhelm
DILTHEY, WILHELM. - German philosopher, b. 19 Nov. 1833 at Biebrich, d. 10 Oct. 1911 at Siusi (Bolzano). He was professor at Basel, Kiel,… -
Distinction (DISTINZIONE)
DISTINCTION. - In its broadest meaning, distinction is the non-identity of something with respect to another: human life and knowledge,… -
Division (DIVISIONE)
DIVISION. - PHILOSOPHY. - It is the logical operation by which a whole is resolved into its parts. While definition aims at clarifying the… -
Dogmatism (DOGMATISMO)
DOGMATISM. - From δόγμα, opinion, judgment, dogmatism in its primitive meaning is any tendency or system that defends, at least in general… -
Doubt (DUBBIO)
DOUBT. - I. PHILOSOPHY. - From dubius, uncertain, hesitant (perhaps from the root duo, by analogy with German Zwei-fel), it is the… -
Dualism (DUALISMO)
DUALISM. - From the Latin dualis (derived from duo), it is any tendency or system that, in the general interpretation of the universe, or… -
Dühring, Karl Eugen (DUHRING, KARL EUGEN)
DÜHRING, KARL EUGEN. - Philosopher, b. in Berlin in 1833, d. in Nowawes in 1921. From 1863 to 1877 he was a Privatdozent in Berlin. A… -
Duns Scotus, Giovanni (DUNS SCOTO, GIOVANNI)
DUNS SCOTUS, GIOVANNI. - Franciscan philosopher and theologian. SUMMARY: I. Life. - II. Works. - III. Character. - IV. Philosophy. - V.… -
Dynamism (DINAMISMO)
DYNAMISM. - From δύναμις (force, energy) is called d. every philosophical system which, denying the dualistic antithesis matter-force,… -
Eclecticism (ECLETTISMO)
ECLECTICISM. - From ἐκλέγω (I choose). It is, in general, every philosophical and scientific approach that selects, from various and… -
Eisler, Rudolf
EISLER, RUDOLF. - Philosopher, b. in Vienna on 7 Jan. 1873, d. there on 14 Dec. 1926. He completed his studies in Leipzig, where he carried… -
Eleatism (ELEATISMO)
ELEATISM. - Philosophy of the school of Elea (a city of Magna Graecia, present-day Velia-Scavi, a station on the Naples-Reggio line) which… -
Emanatism (EMANATISMO)
EMANATISM. - Philosophical and religious doctrine that conceives the world as an emanation, derivation or development of God. E. is usually… -
Emerson, Ralph Waldo
EMERSON, RALPH WALDO. - American thinker and writer, b. in Boston on May 25, 1803 to a Puritan family, d. at Concord on Apr. 25, 1882. He… -
Empedocles of Agrigento (EMPEDOCLE DI AGRIGENTO)
EMPEDOCLE of AGRIGENTO - E. [depicted] by Luca Signorelli in the chapel of B. Bozio in the cathedral of Orvieto (1502-1504). between the… -
Empiricism (From Greek ἐκπέτρις « experience ») (EMPIRISMO (DAL GRECO ἘΚΠΈΤΡΙΣ « ESPERIENZA »))
EMPIRICISM (From Greek ἐκπέτρις « experience »). - It is the valuing of the facts of common experience. Against the abstractions of pure… -
Endres, Joseph Anton
ENDRES, JOSEPH ANTON. - Philosopher, b. at Untermeltingen (Germany) on 12 May 1863, d. at Bidingen on 19 Jan. 1924. A disciple of G. von… -
Enlightenment (ILLUMINISMO)
ENLIGHTENMENT. - A movement of ideas that shaped culture and philosophy from the last decades of the 17th century to the end of the 18th… -
Entelechy (ENTELECHEIA)
ENTELECHY. - From ἐντελές, "perfect, complete, finished": ἐν "in," "τῶος" "end," ἔχει "I have." A central concept in Aristotle, in which it… -
Eon (EVO)
EON. - From the Greek αἰών (for the form: Latin aevium) it indicates time, the duration of something, so that according to the varying… -
Epicurus (EPICURO)
EPICURUS. - I. LIFE. - Greek philosopher, founder of the school that took its name from him, b. of Athenian parents, on the 10th of… -
Epigenesis (EPIGENESI)
EPIGENESIS. - Biological theory (from the Greek ἐπὶ "upon" + γένεσις "generation"), according to which the organic differentiation of the… -
Epiphenomenon (EPIFENÒMENO)
EPIPHENOMENON. - From ἐπὶ χάρις φανύψενον "phenomenon" means an accessory or added phenomenon. In psychology this name designates a new… -
Epistemology (EPISTEMOLOGIA)
EPISTEMOLOGY. - Etymologically (ἐπιστήμη = science and λόγος = discourse), it means doctrine of science. In current usage, however, the… -
Erdmann, Benno
ERDMANN, BENNO. - Philosopher, b. at Glogau (Silesia) on 30 May 1851, d. at Berlin on 7 Jan. 1921. He studied philosophy and science at… -
Eristics (ERISTICA)
ERISTICS. - It is the art of disputation (ἐκέω "I contend") with the aim of overpowering one's opponent; it is commonly said that eristic… -
Error (ERRORE)
ERROR. - From the Latin errare, to wander, to stray, it is, in a broad sense, the departure from truth in thought and in action; in a…