OCR Philosophy Key Terms Memory Guide | OCR 哲学关键术语速记指南

📚 OCR Philosophy Key Terms Memory Guide | OCR 哲学关键术语速记指南

Mastering philosophical vocabulary is essential for success in Year 11 OCR Philosophy. This guide breaks down key terms with simple definitions and memory tricks — pairing English explanations with Chinese translations to strengthen bilingual understanding and long-term retention.

掌握哲学词汇是 Year 11 OCR 哲学取得好成绩的关键。本指南用简单的定义和记忆技巧拆解核心术语，将英文解释与中文翻译配对，以加强双语理解和长期记忆。

1. A Priori Knowledge | 先验知识

A priori knowledge is knowledge that can be gained independently of sense experience, often through reason alone. For example, the statement ‘All bachelors are unmarried’ is true by definition — you do not need to go out and check every bachelor to know this.

先验知识是指可以不依赖感官经验、通常仅通过理性获得的知识。例如，“所有单身汉都未婚”这个陈述在定义上就是真的——你不需要去外面调查每个单身汉就能知道这一点。

Memory tip: Think of ‘prior’ to experience — the letter ‘i’ in priori looks like a candle’s flame, symbolising the mind’s inner light illuminating truth without needing the outside world.

记忆技巧：想想“先于经验”的“先”字——priori 中的“i”像一根蜡烛的火苗，象征着心灵的内在光芒，无需外部世界就能照亮真理。

2. A Posteriori Knowledge | 后验知识

A posteriori knowledge depends entirely on sense experience or empirical evidence. You know that water boils at 100°C at sea level only because you have observed it or learned it from experiments.

后验知识完全依赖于感官经验或经验证据。你知道水在海平面下在 100°C 沸腾，只是因为你观察到了这一点，或者从实验中学到了这个事实。

Memory trick: The word ‘post’ means after — so a posteriori is after experience. Picture a letter being delivered ‘post’ an event; the knowledge arrives at your mind only after your senses have gathered the information.

记忆技巧：“post”这个词意味着“之后”——所以后验知识是在经验之后。想象一封信在事件发生“之后”才被送达；知识只有在你感官收集了信息之后才会进入你的脑海。

3. Theism | 有神论

Theism is the belief in the existence of a God or gods, typically a personal and involved deity. In OCR Philosophy, you will often encounter classical theism, which describes God as omnipotent, omniscient, and omnibenevolent.

有神论是相信存在一个或多个神，通常是一位人格化且干预世界的神。在 OCR 哲学中，你经常会遇到古典有神论，它把上帝描述为全能、全知和全善的。

Remember: The-ism — ‘The’ points to a specific divine being. Think of the ‘T’ as a cross or a symbol stretching upward, linking the human to the divine.

记住：Theism——”The” 指向特定的神性存在。把 “T” 想象成一个十字架或向上的符号，连接着人类与神。

4. Atheism | 无神论

Atheism is the absence or rejection of belief in the existence of God or gods. An atheist may lack belief due to insufficient evidence or may positively assert that no deity exists.

无神论是不信或拒绝相信神的存在。无神论者可能因证据不足而缺乏信仰，也可能积极断言没有任何神存在。

Memory aid: The prefix ‘a-‘ means ‘without’ (like in ‘amoral’). So a-theism is literally ‘without theism’. Visualise the letter ‘A’ as a minus sign removing the concept of God.

记忆辅助：前缀 “a-” 表示“没有”（如 amoral 意为不道德的）。所以 a-theism 字面意思就是“没有有神论”。把字母 “A” 想象成一个减号，去除了神的概念。

5. Agnosticism | 不可知论

Agnosticism is the view that it is impossible to know whether God exists or not. An agnostic suspends judgment, holding that human reason and evidence are insufficient to reach a definite conclusion on the matter.

不可知论认为我们不可能知道神是否存在。不可知论者悬置判断，认为人类理性和证据不足以就此问题得出确定结论。

Link ‘agnostic’ to ‘ignore’ of knowledge — the ‘gno’ part comes from the Greek for knowledge (like in ‘diagnosis’). An agnostic says, ‘I don’t know and maybe can’t know.’ Picture a question mark inside the letter ‘G’.

把 “agnostic” 与“知识上的无知”联系起来——”gno” 部分来自希腊语的“知识”（如 diagnosis）。不可知论者说：“我不知道，也许永远无法知道。” 想象字母 “G” 里有一个问号。

6. Omnipotent | 全能

Omnipotence means being all-powerful. In the philosophy of religion, it refers to God’s ability to do anything that is logically possible. The well-known paradox asks: can an omnipotent being create a stone so heavy that it cannot lift it?

全能意味着无所不能。在宗教哲学中，它指的是上帝能做任何逻辑上可能的事情的能力。著名的悖论问道：一个全能的存在能否创造一块重到自己都举不起来的石头？

Break it down: ‘omni-‘ means all, ‘potent’ means powerful. Think of a potent battery that powers everything. To recall, say ‘omni-potent’ — a single battery that can power the entire universe.

分解单词：”omni-” 意为全部，”potent” 意为强大。想象一块强大的电池能为一切供电。为了记忆，可以说“omni-potent”——一块能为整个宇宙供电的电池。

7. Omniscient | 全知

Omniscience is the property of being all-knowing. God is said to know everything that has happened, is happening, and will happen. This raises questions about human free will — if God already knows the future, are our choices truly free?

全知是全知的属性。据说上帝知道已经发生、正在发生和将要发生的一切。这引发了关于人类自由意志的问题：如果上帝已经知道未来，我们的选择还真的是自由的吗？

‘Omni-‘ + ‘science’ (scientia = knowledge in Latin). Picture an all-seeing eye that has read every book in every library across all time. The ‘sci’ sound is like ‘see’ — an omniscient being sees all.

“Omni-” + “science”（scientia 在拉丁语中意为知识）。想象一只洞悉一切的眼睛，它读遍了所有时代所有图书馆里的每一本书。”sci” 的发音像 “see”——全知的存在看见一切。

8. Omnibenevolent | 全善

Omnibenevolence means being perfectly good. In classical theism, God is not only all-powerful and all-knowing, but also morally perfect. The logical problem of evil challenges whether such a being can coexist with suffering in the world.

全善意味着至善。在古典有神论中，上帝不仅是全能和全知的，也是道德上完美的。逻辑上的恶的问题挑战了这样一个存在是否能够与世间的苦难共存。

Think ‘benevolent’ — wanting to do good, like a benevolent donor. ‘Omni-‘ extends this goodness without limit. Imagine a heart with an infinity symbol inside it: unlimited love and goodness.

想想 “benevolent”——愿意行善，就像一个仁慈的捐赠者。”Omni-” 将这种善无限延伸。想象一颗内部有无限符号的心：无限的爱与善。

9. Free Will | 自由意志

Free will is the capacity to make choices that are not predetermined by prior causes, fate, or divine intervention. Philosophers debate whether free will can exist in a universe governed by natural laws or under an omniscient God.

自由意志是指能够做出不受先前原因、命运或神圣干预预先决定的选择的能力。哲学家们争论在受自然法则支配或全知上帝统摄下的宇宙中，自由意志是否能够存在。

Visualise the word ‘free’ as an open cage door and ‘will’ as a strong intention. When you say ‘I will’, you assert your independence. Freedom + will = the power to choose your own path.

把 “free” 想象成敞开的笼门，”will” 是强烈的意图。当你说 “I will” 时，你在宣示自己的独立。自由 + 意志 = 选择自己道路的力量。

10. Determinism | 决定论

Determinism is the philosophical view that all events, including human actions, are ultimately determined by causes external to the will. If determinism is true, then every choice we make was already causally inevitable before we were born.

决定论是一种哲学观点，认为所有事件，包括人类的行为，最终都是由意志之外的原因决定的。如果决定论为真，那么我们做出的每一个选择在我们出生之前就已经是因果上不可避免的了。

Break it as ‘determine-ism’. To determine means to set the outcome in advance, like a pre-written script. Think of a falling domino perfectly determined by the one before it — a chain of cause and effect with no room for alternative possibilities.

拆解为 “determine-ism”。Determine 意味着提前设定结果，就像预先写好的剧本。想象一张倒下的多米诺骨牌被前一张完美决定——一条没有其他可能性的因果链。

11. Utilitarianism | 功利主义

Utilitarianism is an ethical theory that judges actions based on their consequences, specifically the amount of happiness or pleasure they produce. The right action is the one that maximises overall happiness for the greatest number of people.

功利主义是一种伦理学理论，根据行为的后果，特别是它们所产生的幸福或快乐的数量来判断行为。正确的行为是为最大多数人最大化总体幸福的行为。

Link to ‘utility’ — usefulness. A utilitarian seeks the greatest utility (happiness) for all. Think of a ‘util’ as a unit of happiness on a scale, balancing pleasure over pain. The mathematical phrase ‘greatest good for the greatest number’ captures the calculation.

与 “utility”（效用）联系起来——实用性。功利主义者追求全体最大效用（幸福）。把 “util” 想象成衡量幸福的天平上的一个单位，在快乐与痛苦之间权衡。“最大多数人的最大善”这个数学化的短语概括了这种计算。

12. Categorical Imperative | 绝对命令

Immanuel Kant’s categorical imperative is a moral law that commands us to act only according to rules that could be universalised — that is, rules everyone could follow without contradiction. Unlike hypothetical imperatives (if you want X, do Y), the categorical imperative applies unconditionally.

伊曼努尔·康德的绝对命令是一条道德法则，命令我们只按照那些可以普遍化的准则行动——即每个人都可以遵循而不会产生矛盾的准则。与假言命令（如果你想要 X，就做 Y）不同，绝对命令无条件地适用。

Memory tip: ‘Categorical’ means absolute, without exception — like a category that includes everything. ‘Imperative’ is a command. Together, it’s an absolute command. Think of a traffic law that everyone must obey regardless of personal wishes, and test the rule: could it apply to everyone, always?

记忆技巧：”Categorical” 意为绝对的、无例外的——就像一个包含一切的范畴。”Imperative” 是命令。合起来就是绝对命令。想象一条所有人都必须遵守的交通规则，无论个人意愿如何，并检验：这条规则能否始终适用于每一个人？

Published by TutorHao | Philosophy Revision Series | aleveler.com

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