Core Terms Guide

🧠 I. Western (Greek, Latin, Modern European) – 50 terms

1 Metaphysics – Study of the nature of reality and being.
2 Epistemology – Study of knowledge and its limits.
3 Ontology – The study of existence or “being.”
4 Logic – Study of valid reasoning and argument.
5 Axiology – Study of value (ethics and aesthetics).
6 Phenomenology – Study of experience and consciousness.
7 Existentialism – Focus on freedom, meaning, and human existence.
8 Empiricism – Knowledge derived from sensory experience.
9 Rationalism – Knowledge derived from reason.
10 Idealism – Reality is fundamentally mental.
11 Materialism – Only matter and physical processes are real.
12 Dualism – Mind and body as distinct substances.
13 Monism – Reality is one unified whole.
14 Realism – External world exists independent of perception.
15 Skepticism – Doubt or denial of certain knowledge.
16 Determinism – Every event is caused by preceding events.
17 Free Will – Capacity to choose independently.
18 Utilitarianism – Morality based on maximizing happiness.
19 Deontology – Morality based on duty or rules.
20 Virtue Ethics – Morality as cultivation of good character.
21 Hedonism – Pleasure as the highest good.
22 Eudaimonia – Human flourishing or well-being (Aristotle).
23 Stoicism – Enduring pain with reason and virtue.
24 Nihilism – Denial of inherent meaning or value.
25 Teleology – Explanation by purpose or ends.

26 Pragmatism – Truth as what works in practice.
27 Dialectic – Reasoned dialogue or contradiction (Hegel, Plato).
28 Phenomenon – That which appears to consciousness.
29 Noumenon – Thing-in-itself (Kant).
30 A Priori – Knowledge independent of experience.
31 A Posteriori – Knowledge derived from experience.
32 Categorical Imperative – Kant’s universal moral law.
33 Social Contract – The foundation of political legitimacy.
34 Alienation – Estrangement from work or self (Marx).
35 Justice – Fairness in moral and political life.
36 Liberty – Freedom from constraint.
37 Equality – Moral or political parity among persons.
38 Detachment – Withdrawal from desires or attachments.
39 Relativism – Truth or morality depends on context.
40 Absolutism – Objective, universal truths exist.
41 Essence – Fundamental nature of a thing.
42 Substance – Underlying reality that supports attributes.
43 Accident – Nonessential property of a thing.
44 Being – That which exists.
45 Becoming – Continuous change or process (Heraclitus).
46 Transcendence – Beyond ordinary experience.
47 Immanence – Divinity or value within the world.
48 Reason – Faculty of rational thought.
49 Faith – Trust in beliefs beyond reason.
50 Aesthetics – Study of beauty and artistic value.

🪷 II. SANSKRIT / INDIAN PHILOSOPHY – 30 TERMS

1 Ātman (आत्मन्) – The self or soul; true inner being.
2 Brahman (ब्रह्मन्) – Ultimate reality or cosmic spirit.
3 Dharma (धर्म) – Duty, law, moral order, or righteousness.
4 Karma (कर्म) – Action and its moral consequences.
5 Moksha (मोक्ष) – Liberation from the cycle of rebirth.
6 Saṃsāra (संसार) – The cycle of birth, death, and rebirth.
7 Māyā (माया) – Illusion; deceptive appearance of the world.
8 Advaita (अद्वैत) – Non-duality; unity of ātman and brahman.
9 Dvaita (द्वैत) – Dualism; distinction between God and self.
10 Yoga (योग) – Discipline for spiritual union or self-control.
11 Bhakti (भक्ति) – Devotional love or worship of the divine.
12 Jnana (ज्ञान) – Knowledge, especially spiritual wisdom.
13 Vairāgya (वैराग्य) – Detachment or dispassion.
14 Satyam (सत्यम्) – Truth or reality.
15 Ahimsa (अहिंसा) – Non-violence; reverence for life.

16 Śūnyatā (शून्यता) – Emptiness; absence of inherent essence (Buddhist).
17 Anitya (अनित्य) – Impermanence of all phenomena.
18 Anātman (अनात्मन्) – “No-self”; denial of a permanent soul (Buddhist).
19 Prakṛti (प्रकृति) – Nature or material reality.
20 Puruṣa (पुरुष) – Pure consciousness or spirit.
21 Guṇa (गुण) – The three qualities (sattva, rajas, tamas) of nature.
22 Dukkha (दुःख) – Suffering or unsatisfactoriness.
23 Nirvāṇa (निर्वाण) – Extinction of desire and liberation.
24 Tattva (तत्त्व) – Fundamental principle or reality.
25 Citta (चित्त) – Mind or consciousness.
26 Buddhi (बुद्धि) – Intellect or discriminative faculty.
27 Smṛti (स्मृति) – Memory or tradition.
28 Śraddhā (श्रद्धा) – Faith or trust in spiritual truth.
29 Dhyāna (ध्यान) – Meditation or focused contemplation.
30 Samādhi (समाधि) – State of deep meditative absorption.

🐉 III. CHINESE PHILOSOPHY – 20 TERMS

1 Dao (道) – The Way; fundamental principle of the universe.
2 De (德) – Virtue, moral power, or integrity.
3 Qi (氣) – Vital energy or life force.
4 Li (理) – Principle, order, or pattern.
5 Ren (仁) – Humaneness, benevolence (Confucian).
6 Yi (義) – Righteousness, moral duty.
7 Li (禮) – Ritual propriety, social norms.
8 Xin (信) – Sincerity, trustworthiness.
9 Zhi (智) – Wisdom.
10 Xiao (孝) – Filial piety, respect for parents.

11 Wu Wei (無為) – Effortless action or non-forcing (Daoism).
12 Ziran (自然) – Naturalness, spontaneous order.
13 Tian (天) – Heaven; natural order or divine will.
14 Junzi (君子) – The noble or exemplary person (Confucian).
15 Shen (神) – Spirit or spiritual vitality.
16 Xin (心) – Heart-mind; unity of thought and emotion.
17 Ming (命) – Destiny or mandate (as in Tianming, Mandate of Heaven).
18 Liangzhi (良知) – Innate moral knowing (Wang Yangming).
19 Yin–Yang (陰陽) – Complementary dual forces in nature.
20 Dao De Jing (道德經) – “The Classic of the Way and Virtue,” foundational Daoist text.