Some people boil philosophy down to a list of definitions. In one sense, that is not entirely wrong. A philosophy, religion, science, or tradition can be partly understood through its tradition-specific vocabulary. Every framework has its own key terms, and those terms shape how people think inside that system.
But definitions alone are too small. A better way to think about philosophy is in terms of frameworks. A framework is an organized set of ideas, assumptions, categories, methods, and vocabulary that helps people interpret reality, meaning, knowledge, and life.
One important lens into any framework is its framework-specific vocabulary. Those definitions matter. A lot. If we want to think clearly, we need to know how key terms are being used, how they connect, where they differ, and how one thinker’s meaning compares with another’s.
The definitions below reflect my current understanding of important philosophical concepts with a TST Philosophy view. They support science-first philosophy, but they also serve a broader purpose: they give us a starting point for comparing ideas, testing meanings, and entering better conversations about reality, truth, belief, ethics, and the human experience.
Each entry includes a short definition, a few related terms, and, when available, a link to a fuller article where I expand the idea.