📚 IGCSE CCEA Philosophy: Glossary Memory Hacks | IGCSE CCEA 哲学：词汇术语速记指南
Mastering philosophical terminology is a crucial step toward success in the IGCSE CCEA Philosophy examination. Rather than simply memorising dry definitions, this guide provides practical memory hacks, etymological clues, and conceptual pairings that make each term stick. We will explore key vocabulary across epistemology, ethics, philosophy of religion, political philosophy, and logic, always linking English and Chinese explanations to strengthen bilingual retention. Use these strategies to build confident, precise answers under timed exam conditions.
掌握哲学术语是IGCSE CCEA哲学考试成功的关键一步。与其枯燥地背诵定义，本指南提供实用的记忆诀窍、词源线索和概念配对，帮助每个术语牢牢扎根。我们将探讨认识论、伦理学、宗教哲学、政治哲学和逻辑学中的核心词汇，并始终将英语与中文解释相结合，以加强双语记忆。运用这些策略，在限时考试中写出自信、准确的答案。
1. Epistemology Essentials | 认识论核心术语
A priori – knowledge justified independently of experience. Memory hack: think of ‘prior’ to experience. It often involves reason alone, such as ‘2 + 2 = 4’. The opposite is a posteriori, which depends on empirical evidence.
A priori (先验) —— 不依赖经验而获得的知识。记忆诀窍：想想’prior’ (在先)，在经验之先。它通常仅靠理性，如’2 + 2 = 4’。其对立面是a posteriori (后验)，依赖经验证据。
Empiricism – the theory that all knowledge originates in sense experience. Associate with ’empirical’ – you must see, touch, or measure. John Locke’s ‘blank slate’ is a classic example. The Chinese term 经验主义 literally points to ‘experience’.
Empiricism (经验主义) —— 认为所有知识都源于感官体验的理论。联系’empirical'(经验的)一词——你必须看见、触摸或测量。约翰·洛克的’白板说’是经典例子。中文术语’经验主义’直接指向’经验’。
Rationalism – the view that reason is the primary source of knowledge, not the senses. Descartes’ ‘I think, therefore I am’ is pure rationalism. Remember: ‘rational’ + ‘ism’ = the reign of reason.
Rationalism (理性主义) —— 认为理性而非感官是知识的主要来源。笛卡尔的’我思故我在’是纯粹的理性主义。记住：’rational’ (理性的) + ‘ism’ (主义) = 理性的统治。
Scepticism – the questioning of the possibility of certainty in knowledge. Global scepticism doubts everything; local scepticism targets specific domains. The word shares a root with ‘sceptic’ – a doubter.
Scepticism (怀疑论) —— 对知识确定性可能性的质疑。全面怀疑论怀疑一切；局部怀疑论针对特定领域。该词与’sceptic'(怀疑者)同根。
2. Ethics and Moral Concepts | 伦理学与道德概念
Utilitarianism – the ethical theory that the right action is the one that maximises overall happiness. Jeremy Bentham’s ‘greatest happiness principle’ is the core. Break it down: ‘utility’ (usefulness) + ‘arianism’. Imagine a ‘utility belt’ that only keeps tools that make people happy.
Utilitarianism (功利主义) —— 正确的行为是能够最大化总体幸福的伦理理论。边沁的’最大幸福原则’是核心。拆解词根：’utility'(效用) + ‘arianism’。想象一条’效用腰带’，只保留让人们幸福的工具。
Deontology – duty-based ethics, most famously associated with Immanuel Kant. The Greek deon means ‘duty’. Kant’s categorical imperative commands us to act only according to rules that could become universal laws. Think ‘deon’ = ‘duty on’ you.
Deontology (义务论) —— 基于责任的伦理学，最常与康德关联。希腊语deon意为’责任’。康德的定言命令要求我们只按照能够成为普遍法则的准则行动。记忆：’deon’ 如同 ‘duty on’ (责任在身)。
Virtue Ethics – focuses on character traits rather than rules or consequences. Aristotle’s eudaimonia (flourishing) is the goal. Remember ‘virtue’ as moral excellence; think of someone you admire as a virtuous person.
Virtue Ethics (美德伦理学) —— 关注品格特质而非规则或后果。亚里士多德的eudaimonia (繁荣/幸福) 是目标。将’virtue’记为道德卓越；想想你敬仰的具有美德的人。
Euthyphro Dilemma – “Is the pious loved by the gods because it is pious, or is it pious because it is loved by the gods?” This Platonic question challenges divine command theory. Recall Socrates posed it to Euthyphro; simply memorise the name and the dilemma will follow.
Euthyphro Dilemma (游叙弗伦困境) —— ‘虔诚是因为被众神所爱才虔诚，还是因为虔诚才被众神所爱？’这个柏拉图式问题挑战神圣命令理论。回想苏格拉底向游叙弗伦发问；只需记住名字，困境自现。
3. Philosophy of Religion | 宗教哲学术语
Theism – belief in a personal, involved God. Atheism rejects the existence of any deity. Agnosticism suspends judgement, claiming we cannot know. Link ‘a-‘ as ‘not’ for atheism, and ‘a-gnosis’ (without knowledge) for agnosticism.
Theism (有神论) —— 信仰一位人格化的、介入世界的上帝。Atheism (无神论) 否认任何神祇的存在。Agnosticism (不可知论) 搁置判断，声称我们无法知道。将’a-‘看作’不’来记忆atheism，’a-gnosis'(无知识)对应agnosticism。
Design Argument (Teleological Argument) – infers a designer from apparent order and purpose in the world. William Paley’s watchmaker analogy is the classic. ‘Telos’ means end or purpose in Greek, so teleological = purpose-driven.
Design Argument / Teleological Argument (设计论证/目的论论证) —— 从世界中明显的秩序与目的推断出设计者。佩利的钟表匠类比是经典。希腊语’telos’意为目的，所以目的论 = 目的驱动的。
Cosmological Argument – argues from the existence of the cosmos to a first cause or necessary being. Thomas Aquinas’ ‘Five Ways’ contain versions of it. The root ‘cosmos’ means universe; the argument starts with the universe and moves to a cause.
Cosmological Argument (宇宙论论证) —— 从宇宙的存在论证第一因或必然存在者。阿奎那的’五路证明’包含其形式。词根’cosmos’意为宇宙；论证始于宇宙而推出原因。
Problem of Evil – the challenge that evil and suffering are incompatible with an omnipotent, omnibenevolent God. Theodicies attempt to resolve it. Think of it as a ‘problem’ story: if God is all-good and all-powerful, why evil?
Problem of Evil (恶的问题) —— 恶与苦难与全能全善的上帝不相容的挑战。神义论试图解决。想象成一个’问题’故事：如果上帝全善全能，为何有恶？
4. Political Philosophy | 政治哲学基础词汇
Social Contract – the agreement by which individuals give up some freedoms in exchange for security and order. Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau each developed distinct versions. ‘Contract’ signals a mutual deal; think of signing a collective agreement for protection.
Social Contract (社会契约) —— 个体放弃部分自由换取安全与秩序的协议。霍布斯、洛克和卢梭各自发展了不同版本。’契约’意味着双方协议；想象共同签署一份保护协议。
State of Nature – a hypothetical pre-political condition used to justify political authority. Hobbes described it as ‘solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short’. Visualise a savage wilderness without government.
State of Nature (自然状态) —— 一种假想的、前政治的状态，用于证成政治权力。霍布斯将其描述为’孤独、贫困、卑污、残忍而短寿’。想象一个没有政府的蛮荒之地。
Sovereignty – the supreme power or authority within a territory. Bodin introduced it, and Hobbes gave it to the Leviathan. Remember: the ‘sovereign’ is the ruler who answers to no one else.
Sovereignty (主权) —— 一领土内至高无上的权力或权威。博丹引入该概念，霍布斯赋予利维坦。记住：’sovereign'(主权者)是不向任何其他人负责的统治者。
Positive Freedom vs Negative Freedom – Isaiah Berlin’s distinction. Negative freedom is freedom from interference (absence of coercion); positive freedom is freedom to realise one’s true self or potential. Memory tip: negative = ‘no barriers’, positive = ‘power to achieve’.
积极自由与消极自由 (Positive Freedom vs Negative Freedom) —— 以赛亚·伯林的区分。消极自由是免于干涉的自由(无强制)；积极自由是实现真实自我或潜能的自由。记忆：消极 = ‘无障碍’，积极 = ‘达成目标的力量’。
5. Logic and Critical Thinking | 逻辑与批判性思维
Premise – a statement that provides reason or support for a conclusion. In the argument ‘All humans are mortal; Socrates is human; therefore Socrates is mortal’, the first two lines are premises. Associate ‘pre-‘ (before) + ‘miss’ (send) – a premise is sent ahead to support the conclusion.
Premise (前提) —— 为结论提供理由或支持的陈述。在论证’所有人都会死；苏格拉底是人；所以苏格拉底会死’中，前两行是前提。联系’pre-‘(之前) + ‘miss'(送出)——前提被送出以支持结论。
Conclusion – the statement that follows from the premises. Typically signalled by ‘therefore’, ‘hence’, ‘so’. In logic diagrams, the conclusion is the endpoint.
Conclusion (结论) —— 从前提推出的陈述。常由’therefore’, ‘hence’, ‘so’引导。在逻辑图中，结论是终点。
Deduction – reasoning from general principles to specific conclusions, where the conclusion must be true if the premises are true. ‘All men are mortal; Socrates is a man; therefore Socrates is mortal’ is a deductive syllogism. Deduction sounds like ‘de-duct’ – channelling general truth into a specific case.
Deduction (演绎) —— 从普遍原则推出特定结论的推理，若前提真，结论必然真。’所有人都会死；苏格拉底是人；所以苏格拉底会死’是演绎三段论。Deduction音似’de-duct'(导流)——将普遍真理引入特定情形。
Induction – reasoning from specific observations to a general conclusion, where the conclusion is probable but not certain. ‘The sun has risen every day; therefore the sun will rise tomorrow.’ Induction is ‘in-duct’ – pulling a generalisation into the mind from instances.
Induction (归纳) —— 从特定观察到普遍结论的推理，结论可能但不必然。’太阳每天升起；所以明天太阳也会升起。’归纳如同’in-duct'(引入)——从实例中把概括引入头脑。
Fallacy – a mistake in reasoning that weakens an argument. Common informal fallacies include ad hominem (attacking the person) and straw man (misrepresenting an argument). Think ‘fall’ – the argument falls down logically.
Fallacy (谬误) —— 削弱论证的推理错误。常见的非形式谬误包括ad hominem(人身攻击)和straw man(稻草人谬误)。联想’fall'(倒下)——论证在逻辑上倒下了。
6. Metaphysics and Mind | 形而上学与心灵哲学
Dualism – the view that mind and body are two distinct substances. Descartes’ interactionist dualism is the classic version. ‘Dual’ = two; picture two separate realms: mental and physical.
Dualism (二元论) —— 认为心灵与身体是两种不同实体的观点。笛卡尔的交互二元论是经典版本。’Dual’ = 二；想象两个分开的领域：精神和物质。
Materialism / Physicalism – the theory that only physical matter exists, and mental states are brain states. ‘Material’ points to matter; everything is material. Chinese 唯物主义 means ‘only matter as root’.
Materialism / Physicalism (唯物主义/物理主义) —— 认为只有物理物质存在，心理状态即大脑状态的理论。’Material’指向物质；一切皆物质。中文’唯物主义’意味着’以物质为根本’。
Free Will – the ability to choose actions without being determined by prior causes. Determinism denies this, asserting every event is necessitated by preceding states. Compatibilism holds that free will and determinism can coexist. Remember ‘free’ vs ‘determined’ as the poles.
Free Will (自由意志) —— 不受先前原因决定而选择行动的能力。Determinism (决定论) 否认这一点，主张每个事件都由先前状态必然导致。Compatibilism (相容论) 认为自由意志与决定论可以共存。将’free’与’determined’看作两极。
7. Legal and Justice Concepts | 法律与正义概念
Natural Law – a moral theory holding that there is an objective moral order discoverable by reason, often linked to Aquinas and Aristotle. It stands opposite to positive law (human-made law). Link ‘natural’ to nature’s order; think of moral principles that are as natural as gravity.
Natural Law (自然法) —— 一种道德理论，认为存在可通过理性发现的客观道德秩序，常与阿奎那和亚里士多德关联。它与实证法(人为法)相对立。将’natural’联系自然秩序；想象如同引力般自然的道德原则。
Legal Positivism – the view that law is a social construction and there is no necessary connection between law and morality. H.L.A. Hart is a key figure. ‘Posited’ means laid down; law is posited by sovereigns, not derived from nature.
Legal Positivism (法律实证主义) —— 认为法律是一种社会建构，法律与道德之间没有必然联系的观点。哈特是关键人物。’Posited’意为规定；法律由主权者规定，而非源于自然。
Retributive Justice – punishment as deserved payback for wrongdoing, often expressed as ‘an eye for an eye’. Rehabilitative Justice aims to reform the offender. ‘Retribution’ sounds like ‘re-tribute’ – paying back a tribute.
Retributive Justice (报应性正义) —— 惩罚作为对恶行的应有偿还，常表达为’以眼还眼’。Rehabilitative Justice (恢复性正义) 旨在改造罪犯。’Retribution’音似’re-tribute'(再次进贡)——作为回报的偿还。
8. Famous Philosophers in a Nutshell | 著名哲学家速记
Plato – Theory of Forms, rationalist, wrote dialogues. Picture a ‘plate’ of ideal forms floating above the cave. Aristotle – empiricist, virtue ethics, four causes. Remember him as a student who left the cave to measure things. Descartes – ‘I think, therefore I am’, dualism, systematic doubt. ‘Cart’ – he put the cart before the horse by starting with the mind.
柏拉图(Plato) —— 理型论，理性主义者，写对话录。想象一盘’mplate'(理型)漂浮在洞穴之上。亚里士多德(Aristotle) —— 经验主义者，美德伦理学，四因说。记住他是那个离开洞穴去测量万物的学生。笛卡尔(Descartes) —— ‘我思故我在’，二元论，系统怀疑。’Cart’——他把马车(cart)放在马前面，从心灵开始。
Hume – empiricism, scepticism about causation and the self, is-ought gap. Associate ‘Hume’ with ‘human’ experience and the sound of a ‘hume’ (a soft breeze) that constantly changes – like bundles of perceptions.
休谟(Hume) —— 经验主义，对因果和自我持怀疑态度，是-应该区分。将’Hume’与’human'(人类)经验以及’hume’的柔风声联系起来——像一束束不断变化的知觉。
Kant – deontology, categorical imperative, phenomena vs noumena. ‘Kant’ sounds like ‘can’t’ – you can’t cross certain moral laws. He also discovered that the mind imposes categories on experience.
康德(Kant) —— 义务论，定言命令，现象与物自身。’Kant’音似’can’t'(不能)——你不能逾越某些道德法则。他还发现心灵将范畴施加于经验。
9. Ethical Dilemmas and Thought Experiments | 伦理困境与思想实验
Trolley Problem – a thought experiment where one must choose whether to divert a trolley to kill one person instead of five. Used to test utilitarian versus deontological intuitions. Visualise the trolley and the track switch. The Chinese ‘电车难题’ captures the image exactly.
Trolley Problem (电车难题) —— 一个思想实验，必须选择是否将电车转向杀死一人而非五人。用于测试功利主义与义务论的直觉。想象电车和道岔。中文’电车难题’准确捕捉了这一画面。
Veil of Ignorance – Rawls’ device where decision-makers are ignorant of their own social position to ensure fairness. Imagine a veil covering your identity when designing society.
Veil of Ignorance (无知之幕) —— 罗尔斯的工具，决策者对自己的社会地位一无所知，以确保公正。想象设计社会时一张面纱遮住你的身份。
Ship of Theseus – a paradox about identity: if all parts of a ship are replaced, is it still the same ship? Apply to personal identity over time. Picture planks being swapped one by one.
Ship of Theseus (忒修斯之船) —— 关于同一性的悖论：若一艘船的所有部件都被替换，它还是同一条船吗？应用于个人跨越时间的同一性。想象木板一块一块地被更换。
10. Exam-Ready Memory Techniques | 考试中的记忆技巧
Use acronyms for ethical theories: U (Utilitarianism), D (Deontology), V (Virtue Ethics). For the cosmological argument, remember ‘CAM’ – Caused, Actualised, Moved (Aquinas’ first three ways). Link terms to vivid images: a watch for the design argument, a cave for Plato. Create flashcards with the English term on one side and the Chinese equivalent plus a one-line hack on the other. Teach a partner; the Feynman technique deepens recall.
使用首字母缩略词记忆伦理理论：U (功利主义), D (义务论), V (美德伦理学)。对于宇宙论论证，记住’CAM’——被推动(Caused)、被实现(Actualised)、被推动(Moved)(阿奎那前三路)。将术语与生动图像联系：手表代表设计论证，洞穴代表柏拉图。制作抽认卡，一面是英文术语，另一面是中文对应词和一行记忆诀窍。教学相长；费曼技巧能加深记忆。
Finally, practise writing definitions under timed conditions and always connect the term to the argument it serves. Philosophy is not just a list of words but a map of ideas.
最后，限时练写定义，并始终将该术语与其服务的论证联系起来。哲学不仅是词汇列表，更是一张思想地图。
Published by TutorHao | Philosophy Revision Series | aleveler.com
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