Page 402 - Social Sciences Humanities - The Ontario Curriculum Grades 9 to 12 - 2013

THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 9–12 | Social Sciences and Humanities
conservatism. A political ideology that values the preservation of tradition and the existing order, and advocates slow social or political reform, if any, to ensure stability.
constructive empiricism. A belief that the goal of science is to arrive at truth about the observ­ able aspects of the world and not the unobserv­ able aspects of the world. Advocates argue that, in order for a theory to be true, it must adequately explain empirical evidence.
constructivism. A belief that truth or reality is subjective and dependent on people’s experiences, culture, and world view.
contractualism. The belief that what people ought to do is determined by contracts or agreements between the people involved.
cosmology. A branch of metaphysics that examines the origins of the universe.
Dadaism. An art movement that began after World War I; it rejected prevailing standards in art and emphasized the irrational and absurd.
deduction; deductive reasoning. Reasoning that evaluates arguments as valid when their conclusion follows from their premise.
determinism. The metaphysical concept that, according to the laws of nature, every event has a cause and every cause has an effect. As such, the future is entirely determined by the past and the laws of nature. In effect, everything happens for a reason, and people have no influence on the direction their lives take.
dualism. The metaphysical view that the mind and body are distinct from one another, yet
interact in important and meaningful ways.
empiricism. The philosophical view that sensory experience is the primary method of acquiring knowledge.
epistemology. A branch of philosophy that examines theories of knowledge, including questions about how we know what we know and what counts as knowledge at any given time.
ethics. A branch of philosophy that examines questions of what is right and wrong, good and evil, and just and unjust.
existentialism. A philosophical school that focuses on what constitutes a meaningful life, the nature of free will, and the human condition.
expressionism. A view within aesthetics, it espouses that a work of art must appeal to the viewer’s emotions or express the emotions of its creator.
fallacy. Incorrect argumentation that uses illog­ ical reasoning and leads to a faulty conclusion.
falsification. The specification of a set of cir­ cumstances whose occurrence would prove a proposition, theory, or hypothesis to be false.
feminism. Theories, movements, and actions that aim to promote social, economic, and political equity of women, and to challenge and eliminate sexism.
formal logic. A study of the elements of argument and patterns of reasoning in which the form or the structure of the argument is given more importance than its content.
free will. The metaphysical concept that people are free to choose their own paths and control their own actions and are, therefore, responsible for their choices and actions.
idealism. The metaphysical view that reality is composed only of non-material things, such as minds, spirits, space, and time.
ideology. A belief system of a social movement, institution, class, or large group that explains how society ought to work and how power ought to be distributed.
induction; inductive reasoning. Reasoning in which generalizations are made from specific, individual instances.
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