You are here:
- Home
- Social sciences
- Philosophy
- Key concepts
Key concepts in philosophy
Key concepts are the big ideas and understandings that we hope will remain with our students long after they have left school.
Reality and illusion
- What is, and what might be?
- What is the relationship between appearance and reality?
- Is there more to reality than what we experience?
- Can there be truth in myths and legends?
- Did Māui really pull Aotearoa out of the sea?
Truth, beauty, and justice
- What is truth?
- Do beauty and justice have a universal aspect, or are they different for every community?
- What is justice in Aotearoa New Zealand?
- Is the legal system interested in the truth?
Freedom and responsibility
- Am I free to live in whatever way I wish? If not, how should I live?
- Am I responsible for my actions?
- Do I have any responsibility for historical decisions that have impacted negatively on the freedom of others?
- What role does the Treaty of Waitangi have in defining our freedoms and responsibilities?
Value, goodness, and happiness
- What makes something valuable?
- Does anything have intrinsic value?
- Should I aim to be good?
- Are there different goods?
- Is happiness the highest good?
- What is happiness?
- How do we know if we are happy?
Rationality and meaning
- What is it to be rational?
- Why not be irrational?
- How do we know the meaning of words?
- How can I tell you what I really mean?
- Are rationality, thinking, and meaning equally relevant to all cultures? Why or why not?
Last updated October 6, 2011