What is a cause?

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What is a cause? Here is my definition:

A cause is something that gives rise to something else

I believe that causation is an observable concept. Causation is a relationship between two separate phenomena where one phenomenon gives rise to the other. For example, if you take a shower, it will cause you to smell good. In this regard, you can observe the causal relationship between showering and smell.

I also believe that causation is a subjective concept. There's not a clear line between a cause and a non-cause. For example, imagine a pineapple sitting on a chair. What caused the pineapple to be sitting there? Because I was using the pineapple to create a still life painting. Why was I creating a painting? Because there was a painting contest. Why was I in the painting contest? Because my teacher encouraged me to join. This process can turn into a never ending regression of causes. In this regard, it's subjective whether or not something is a cause.

I believe that a constructive way to view causation is to make a list of causes that are most relevant. Making a list of the most important causes will lead to greater understanding of the particular instance. Deciding which causes are most important is subjective, but I believe it's a useful way to think about causation.

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What is a pattern?

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What is a pattern? Here is my definition:

A pattern is something that recurs consistently

I believe that reality is filled with many patterns. Some patterns are observed while others are unnoticed. I also believe that a pattern doesn't need to be observed to exist. As human beings, we automatically search for consistencies to help us understand reality. Knowing patterns is essential for many diverse applications.

I believe that pattern recognition is one of the major goals of knowledge. For example, the equation, E=MC^2 is a pattern that was first discovered by Albert Einstein. Another example is the phenomenon that it takes about 365 days for the Earth to rotate around the sun. This pattern occurs consistently otherwise the seasons on Earth would be distorted.

What about a set of tiles making a pattern? I believe that my definition works for this if you consider the process of tile creation and tile placement as a phenomenon. The moment that a tile is placed out of order, the pattern is broken.

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What is understanding?

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What is understanding? I have two definitions:

1. Understanding is the condition of knowing the explanation of something

2. Understanding is the condition of having competent knowledge in something

The rest of this post is an explanation of each definition.

1. Understanding is the condition of knowing the explanation of something

The first meaning of understanding has to do with explanation. For example, to have understanding of a cloud is to know the reasons why it floats, why it's white, what it's made out of, etc. A caveman who sees a cloud will not understand this phenomena because they will not have an explanation for what they are witnessing.

Another example, to have understanding of Chinese history means to have a clear interpretation of the events that have occurred in China. A person with a deep understanding would know many details about Chinese history and how these details relate to each other. If somebody asked them for an explanation of a historical event in China, they could provide a clear description of the event. By providing a good explanation, this person would be demonstrating their understanding.

2. Understanding is the condition of having competent knowledge in something

The second meaning has to do with competence. For example, to understand the Spanish language means to be competent at using Spanish. This has nothing to do with an explanation of the Spanish language. Here is another example: to understand the rules of baseball is to know what is going on in a baseball game. Somebody who doesn't understand the rules of baseball will be confused watching baseball. This has nothing to do with the explanation of why baseball rules were invented a certain way.

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What is memory?

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What is memory? Here is my definition:

Memory is the faculty that enables an entity to store and retrieve information and data

I like to think of memory and the subconscious as opposite sides on a continuum. Memory is the established information while the subconscious is non-established information. There is not a strict line between memory and the subconscious. For example, as time passes, knowledge about past events becomes less clear and we might remember fewer details. This transition out of memory is very gradual and there is not a clear moment when a piece of information becomes subconscious.

I believe we establish information in two main ways: in our mind and in written form. Using our mind (via memory), we can access and store a large amount of information and data. Similar to taking an object off of a shelf, we can look into our mind and grab a piece of information to help us operate in reality. The other method of storing information is to write it down in physical reality. This includes books, pictures, handwritten notes and computer files. In this regard, computers also have a memory.

Although we can't describe every sense we encounter, I believe that the mere attempt to put these things into words helps establish them in our memory. Language makes our thoughts clear and without words we are living in a whirlwind of senses.

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What is intuition?

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What is intuition? Here is my definition:

Intuition is the process of forming beliefs based on unclear reasons

I believe that intuition comes from the subconscious mind. In our daily lives we absorb a large amount of data, but we're only aware of a small portion. Most of this data is stored in our subconscious memory. I believe that sometimes our subconscious memory speaks to us through intuition. This occurs when we form beliefs based on feelings and unclear reasons.

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What is consciousness?

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What is consciousness? Here is my definition:

Consciousness is the faculty that enables a being to be aware of experience

Some people believe that consciousness is merely chemicals and atoms, but I disagree with that opinion. Instead I believe that the fundamental process of consciousness is invisible to the physical world. Although, neuroscientists might be able to narrow their focus down to a single process in the brain and call it 'consciousness', I doubt that this would provide an explanation for how it works. Even if neuroscientists do further research and identify an even more microscopic process, the mystery would still remain. For this reason, I believe something non-physical and transcendental is necessary for consciousness to work.

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What is a word?

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What is a word? Here is my definition:

A word is a symbol consisting of letters, phonetic sounds or conventional gestures

I believe that words are portable concepts. For example, think of the word 'wall'. To establish the word 'wall', we can point to multiple examples of walls and say 'wall'. After this process, the word 'wall' becomes an established tool to convey the concept of a wall. Saying the word 'wall' is much easier than pointing to the concept it represents.

Another common way to establish a word is to provide a definition. A definition is a statement of the meaning of a word. This method is only possible once we have already established a large variety of other words.

I believe that words are necessary for us to express complex ideas. Complex ideas are usually the combination of multiple concepts. To express a complex proposition, we could physically point at multiple things but this would be unclear and slow. Words enable us to skip the step of pointing, allowing us to express complex ideas much easier.

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What is a sense?

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What is a sense? Here is my definition:

A sense is a faculty that retrieves data

I believe that senses are the only way we can learn about reality. Although we are unaware of most data we receive in on a daily basis, everything we know about reality was originally received through a sense. I believe this includes sensing our thoughts and feelings. For example, imagine you are nervous for a presentation and you have many thoughts racing through your head. In this situation, you can become aware of your racing thoughts. This is a sense that allows you perceive your thoughts.

I also believe that machines can have senses. For example, light bulbs can have motion sensors that turn on the light bulb when somebody enters the room. I believe this qualifies as a sense. In this regard, unconscious objects can have senses.

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What is a thought?

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What is a thought? Here is my definition:

A thought is a conscious belief, memory retrieval, sense replication or emotion

I believe that the subconscious does not qualify as a thought. The subconscious is unclear, unknown and not defined. I also believe that thoughts and the subconscious are opposite ends on a continuum. There's not a strict line that determines whether a mental entity is conscious or not. Instead we should think of thoughts as emerging from the vast unknown into our conscious awareness.

I also believe that thoughts do not need to take the form of language. For example, we can visualize a large skyscraper in our mind without using any words. Or we can think of the color green without thinking of the word 'green'. I regard these two examples as sense replications. Not everything we think of needs to be labeled linguistically.

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What is an idea?

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What is an idea? Here is my definition:

An idea is an original thought

The most common metaphor for an idea is a light bulb. When you turn on a light bulb, there is a sudden burst of energy illuminating a previously dark area. Ideas are similar in this regard. Ideas are a sudden realization of something previously unknown. In this way ideas are original.

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What is a question?

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What is a question? Here is my definition:

A question is a sentence that requests knowledge

I like to think of a question as similar to a pointer finger. Questions point somewhere and request an answer. They clarify our thoughts and orient our attention in a specific direction. Questions don't say anything about reality; they are merely an arrow pointing the way to knowledge.

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What is a belief?

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What is a belief? Here is my definition:

A belief is a representation accepted as true

In our daily lives we form many beliefs about reality. For example, if you mail a package to your friend, you would probably believe that the delivery will arrive someday. Our lives are filled with many beliefs like this.

Over the course of a lifetime, a person will form a giant list of beliefs about reality. Many of these beliefs will become forgotten and buried in our subconscious, but as long as they are subconsciously accepted to be true, I believe they qualify as a belief.

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What is knowledge?

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What is knowledge? Here is my definition:

Knowledge is a correctly justified true belief

I believe that establishing knowledge is one of the central goals of intellectual activity. The greatest scientists and philosophers have helped humanity establish new knowledge and ideas about reality. Scientists and philosophers should never forget that knowledge is the goal.

According to this definition, knowledge has to be justified. For example, imagine that you say, "My next roll with the dice will be a six." Even if this statement is true, it's not knowledge because you do not have justification to believe it.

It's also necessary that knowledge is correctly justified. This means that correct justification has to be used. I regard this as a solution to the Gettier problem proposed by Edmund Gettier in 1963. Gettier believed that the definition 'justified true belief' was inadequate to define knowledge. The next paragraph is a Gettier case to demonstrate this problem.

Imagine that you observe 1 sheep standing in a field 100 yards away, but it's actually a highly realistic cardboard sheep. Since the cardboard sheep is very realistic, it serves as adequate justification to believe that there is 1 sheep in the field. This belief is also true because there is 1 sheep hidden behind a bush next to the cardboard sheep. Even though this belief is justified and true, is it knowledge? No, because you used the incorrect justification. In this regard, I believe that knowledge has to use the correct justification.

I also believe that knowledge also has to be true. I do not consider incorrect beliefs as knowledge. I believe it's necessary for knowledge to accurately represent reality.

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What is a meaning?

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What is a meaning? I have two definitions:

1. A meaning is an underlying representation

2. A meaning is an underlying significance

The rest of this post is an explanation of each definition.

1. A meaning is an underlying representation

When it comes to linguistic meaning, I believe we should divide meanings into two main types: implied and literal. The literal meaning refers to the primary meaning of the words, while the implied meaning has to do with something not explicitly stated. For example, think about the sentence, 'I'm hungry'. The literal meaning is that the speaker is experiencing the feeling of hunger. The implied meaning could be that the speaker wants to get some food.

2. A meaning is an underlying significance

The second definition of meaning has to do with significance. For example, think of the question, 'What is the meaning of life?' In other words, I believe this question is also saying, 'What is the significance of life?' In this regard, the meaning of life is the underlying importance of reality and our experience.

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What is logic?

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What is logic? Here is my definition:

Logic is the process of forming conclusions using objective reasons or premises

In our daily lives, I believe we subconsciously use logic all the time. Here is a basic logical argument:

1. All humans are mortal
2. Socrates is a human
3. Therefore, Socrates is mortal

Here is another example:

1. All door knobs are round
2. X is a door knob
3. X is round

I believe we use this line of thinking constantly. Throughout our lives, we create an extensive list of beliefs about reality. We use this web of beliefs to function and navigate through life. This three-line form is so ubiquitous that we are largely unaware of it. I believe this method is the most basic form of reason.

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What is reason?

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What is reason? I have three definitions:

1. Reason is the process of forming conclusions using explicit justifications or premises

2. A reason is something intended to support the accuracy of a proposition

3. A reason is something that explains something else

The rest of this post is an explanation of each definition.

1. Reason is the process of forming conclusions using explicit justifications or premises

I believe that whenever we use explicit reasons to form a belief, we are performing reason. Reason is  the evaluation of reasons to make a conclusion. Reason can be contrasted with intuition which relies on unclear reasons rather than explicit reasons.

I also believe that science relies on reason. Science a method of establishing knowledge through controlled experiments. When we construct a controlled experiment, we need to consider all the potential confounding variables. Therefore, we need to form reasons why we think the experiment is controlled and adequate for testing a theory.

2. A reason is something intended to support the accuracy of a proposition

I believe that reasons play a central role in epistemology. Whenever we form a belief, its usually going to be based on reasons, conscious or unconscious. I also believe that the core essence of a reason is support. The purpose of a reason is to reinforce or strengthen a proposition.

3. A reason is something that explains something else

A reason can also be used to explain something. Whenever somebody asks why something is a certain way, the answer will always be a reason (or reasons). For example, imagine that you go on a bike ride for exercise. If somebody asks you why you went on the bike ride, you would tell them the reason: for exercise. Another example, if somebody asks you why the moon orbits around the Earth, you would tell them the reason: Earth's mass has a gravitational pull on the moon.

What's the difference between an explanation and a reason? An explanation is based on language, while a reason doesn't have to be stated in language. A reason always exists before it is put into words.

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What is objective?

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What is objective? Here is my definition:

Objective is the attribute of not being open to interpretation

Think of the number 4. To establish the definition of 4, we can point to groupings of 4. Each example helps establish the meaning. The meaning of 4 is an objective concept which can be easily differentiated from the meaning of 3. I believe this idea also applies to mathematical forms such as squares and circles. We can point to examples of squares and non-squares in order to establish the objective meaning of a square.

What about the word 'open'? I believe this word is subjective for two reasons. First, there is not a strict line that determines when a person is upset from when they are not. Second, there are multiple meanings of the word 'open' therefore its meaning is dependent upon the subjective context.

The situation is more complicated for propositions. With two exceptions, I believe it's impossible to make a 100% objective proposition about reality. The only exceptions I can think of are mathematical equations such as 2 + 3 = 5 and symbolic logic equations. I believe some of the most objective looking statements can be twisted to be purposefully misinterpreted. I have listed two examples below.

1. 'Bob's car is in the driveway.' This statement appears to have an objective meaning, but the word 'in' could potentially be interpreted as 'inside'. This would mean that the pieces of the car are embedded into the cement of the driveway. Of course this is ridiculous, but it shows one possible interpretation of the words.
2. 'Mary owns 2 cars.' Here I see two words that could be misrepresented: 'own' and 'cars'. What is the definition of 'car'? What is the definition of 'own'? These words can have many different meanings. Therefore, I think this statement is not 100% objective.

Instead of trying to differentiate between objective and subjective propositions, I think of propositions as existing on a continuum between objective and subjective. I believe there are too many unseen misinterpretation traps to safely conclude that a statement is 100% objective (except for mathematics and logic symbols). For this reason, I believe that the word 'objective' is subjective.

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What is subjective?

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What is subjective? Here is my definition:

Subjective is the attribute of being open to interpretation

Subjective words can be very useful for describing reality. I believe there are aspects of reality that can only be described using subjective words. By excluding subjective descriptions, one becomes limited in their ability to describe reality.

Some people argue that subjective statements don't have a truth value, but I disagree with that view. I believe that subjective statements are capable of being accurate representations of reality. Although we can't conclusively prove that a subjective description is true, we can have a large degree of certainty behind a subjective description.

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List of definitions

This post is a list of definition posts for this blog. There are 142 definitions below (118 posts, not including 'information blog', 'organize', 'physics' and 'quantum mechanics'). I believe that making a definition is similar to archery. When we make a definition, we combine a collection of other concepts and attempt to hit the target meaning.

• A posteriori (knowledge): acquired through experience
• A priori (knowledge): acquired without experience
• Abstract (concept): attribute of existing in conceptual form
• Abstract (art): attribute of art that does not attempt to look like realistic objects
• Adjective: word or phrase that signifies an attribute
• Analysis: detailed examination of something with the purpose of drawing conclusions
• Analytic (knowledge): meaning of a concept
• Anecdote: short narrative about an incident
• Argument: a reason or set of reasons meant to support a belief
• Art: expression of imagination and/or ability
• Aspect: specific attribute
• Attribute: identifiable part of something
• Axiom: principle believed to be certain
• Being (self): essential self
• Being (ontology): way something is
• Belief: representation accepted to be true
• Bias: unreasonable inclination that prevents reasonable judgement
• Cause: something that gives rise to something else
• Characteristic: typical attribute
• Clear: attribute of being easy to understand
• Concept: mental general representation
• Conclusion: representation reached after thinking
• Condition: non-permanent attribute
• Consciousness: faculty that enables a being to be aware of experience
• Counting: process of reciting numbers in order
• Data: rudimentary information
• Definition: statement of the meaning of a word
• Description: linguistic representation
• Detail: information about something
• Economics: study the production, distribution and consumption of goods and services
• Emergence: process of a phenomena coming into existence
• Emotion: state of mind concerned with good, bad or duty
• Entity: something that has a distinct and independent existence
• Epistemology: study of knowledge (definition needs revision)
• Establishment: process of causing something indefinitely into existence
• Evidence: information that is relevant for determining the truth
• Exact: attribute of being precisely accurate
• Experience: totality of past and present sense data
• Experiment: event that potentially tests a hypothesis
• Explanation (cause): description of why something happened or happens
• Explanation (clarity): description that makes something clear
• Fact (strict): something known with absolute certainty
• Fact (not strict): something known with absolute certainty with the exception of hallucinations and extreme coincidences
• Faith: belief in something without clear evidence
• Feeling (intuition): unclear reason
• Feeling (emotion): emotional response
• Form: general representation
• Free will: faculty that enables a being to make independent choices
• Fundamental: core principle
• God: conscious being who created reality
• Grammar: system of rules for the combination and formation of words
• Guess: representation based on little or no evidence
• Hypothesis: uncertain representation to be investigated
• Idea: original thought
• Ideology: system of beliefs common to a group of people
• Imaginary: exist only in the mind
• Inexplicable: attribute of lacking an explanation
• Inference: belief based on indirect evidence
• Information: something that educates
• Information blog: website with posts displaying facts, figures and pieces of information with minimal or no commentary
• Intelligence: ability to learn, understand and reason
• Intuition: process of forming beliefs based on unclear reasons
• Justified: attribute of being supported by a good reason
• Knowledge: correctly justified true belief
• Language: written or spoken symbols
• Literal: according to the primary meaning of language
• Logic: process of forming conclusions using objective reasons or premises
• Mathematics: study of numbers, lines and shapes
• Meaning (representation): underlying representation
• Meaning (significance): underlying significance
• Measurement: numerical observation based on a standard unit
• Memory: faculty that enables an entity to store and retrieve information and data
• Metaphysics (transcendental): study of reality outside of matter and space
• Metaphysics (fundamental): study of the fundamental principles of reality
• Mind: faculty that enables a being to have beliefs, memory, sense replications, emotions and a subconscious
• Name: word that designates something
• Noun: word or group of words that refer to something
• Number: word that represents a quantity of units
• Object (physical): physical entity
• Object (phenomena): something that can be perceived
• Objective: attribute of not being open to interpretation
• Observation: perception that is recorded or attentively noticed
• Ontology: study of the way something is
• Opinion: belief not based on proof
• Organize: to arrange something into categories or an order
• Pattern: something that recurs consistently
• Perception: conscious sense datum
• Phenomenology: study of immediate perception
• Phenomenon: something that can be perceived
• Philosophy: study fundamental nature
• Physics: study of matter, motion, force, space and time
• Postmodernism: intellectual movement that foresees a major shift in artistic or epistemological values away from 20th century values
• Predicate: part of a sentence that describes a subject
• Principle: proposition that contributes to the structure of a topic
• Proof: evidence that establishes near absolute certainty
• Property: fundamental attribute
• Proposition: representation to be considered
• Quality: non-quantitative attribute
• Quantum mechanics: study of subatomic processes based on properties that consist of indivisible units
• Question: sentence that requests knowledge
• Reason (method): process of forming conclusions using explicit justifications or premises
• Reason (support): something intended to support the accuracy of a proposition
• Reason (explanation): something that explains something else - 100
• Reality: actual state of affairs
• Religion: belief in or worship toward a divine supernatural power
• Representation: something that stands for the actual thing
• Science (knowledge): method of establishing knowledge through controlled experiments
• Science (matter): study of any subject related to physics, chemistry or biology
• Science (first version): systematic analysis of reality
• Sense: faculty that retrieves data
• Sentence: unified segment of words that has at least one subject-predicate pair and follows grammatical rules
• Sign: something that indicates something else
• Something: unspecified object, event, thought, attribute or transcendental entity
• Soul: conscious transcendental being
• Statement: concise declaration of something
• Statistic: numerical information
• Statistics: study of analyzing numerical data
• Subconscious: part of the mind one is unaware of
• Subject (knowledge): branch of knowledge
• Subject (sentence): part of a sentence being described
• Subject (perception): being that perceives
• Subjective: attribute of being open to interpretation
• Symbol: something that represents a concept
• Syntax: system of rules for the combination of words
• Synthetic (knowledge): extends beyond the meaning of a concept
• System: set of interrelated things that form a unified whole
• Theory: representation that attempts to explain something
• Thing: physical object, event, thought, attribute or transcendental entity
• Think (belief): tentatively believe
• Think (reason): attempt to use one's mind rationally
• Think (attention): focus one's attention on something
• Thought: conscious belief, memory retrieval, sense replication or emotion
• Time: process by which reality moves from past, present, to future
• Trait: attribute that does not exist consistently among members of the same group
• True: attribute of being an accurate representation of reality
• Truth (true): accurate representation of reality
• Truth (reality): actual state of affairs
• Understanding (explanation): condition of knowing the explanation of something
• Understanding (competence): condition of having competent knowledge in something
• Verb: word or phrase that signifies an action
• What: question word used to ask for the predicate's actual subject
• Word: symbol consisting of letters, phonetic sounds or conventional gestures

What is reality?

Photo source: Wikimedia Commons, Salvador Dali

What is reality? Here is my definition:

Reality is the actual state of affairs

Reality is arguably the most important concept in all of philosophy. Reality determines whether or not our propositions are true.

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What is a statement?

Photo source: Wikimedia Commons, Alexander Gardner

What is a statement? Here is my definition:

A statement is concise declaration of something

Statements are very similar to descriptions, but I believe the main difference is that statements are short and straight to the point. Descriptions can be longer and more detailed, but there is not a strict line that differentiates a description from a statement. Due to this inherent subjectivity, I think of these two concepts as melded together.

I believe that statements are the building blocks of knowledge. I also believe we can reduce all of our explicit knowledge down to a list of statements about reality. This list would be extremely large if we include every particular event we have ever encountered. I believe this list of statements is central paradigm in philosophy, science and knowledge.

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What is an explanation?

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What is an explanation? I have two definitions:

An explanation is a description of why something happened or happens

An explanation is a description that makes something clear

Explanations are important for understanding reality. Sometimes we encounter mysterious phenomena that put us in a state of wonder. Explanations shine light on the mysteries of reality.

I believe there's not a sharp line between what information qualifies for an explanation and what doesn't. In this regard, we subjectively determine the most important aspects to include in an explanation. Remember that clarity and understanding is the goal. An explanation can be as short as a single sentence.

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What is a description?

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What is a description? Here is my definition:

A description is a linguistic representation

I believe that all descriptions use language. Descriptions are a particular type of representation which use words to convey things. Descriptions can be contrasted with other types of representations such as models and pictures.

Although we can use pictures to display information, sometimes it's more effective to use words. This is why we often see captions attached to pictures. In this regard, descriptions have greater potential to provide knowledge than images alone.

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What is true?

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What is the definition of true? Here is my definition:

True is the attribute of being an accurate representation of reality

When we talk in our daily lives, we make many propositions about reality. When our propositions correctly display reality, we are saying something that is true. I believe that determining whether a proposition is true or false is central to epistemology.

I believe there are many different methods to determine whether a proposition is true. Logic, reason and intuition are three basic methods for determining the accuracy of a proposition. Experiments are another method that can be useful for determining the accuracy of a proposition. These methods help us form beliefs about reality.

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