Philosopher’s Glossary

Philosophers Master

Field	Everything Else
CORE IDENTITY FIELDS
[Full Name]	Definition: Most widely accepted standardized English name used in academic literature. How to research: Use primary reference hierarchy: Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (SEP) → Britannica → academic texts. Choose the most cited form, not the longest or most “complete.” Avoid: Mixing transliterations (e.g., multiple Chinese systems) Adding titles (Dr., Saint, etc.)
[Native Name]	Definition: Name in original language/script (Greek, Latin, Chinese characters, Arabic, etc.). How to research: Use native script where possible (e.g., 孔子 for Confucius) If original script unavailable, use historically closest reconstruction Avoid: Transliteration duplicates of Full Name
[Other Names]	Definition: All historically attested variants: Latinized, Anglicized, aliases, titles. How to research: Pull from: Academic encyclopedias Historical texts Include: Latin forms (e.g., Renatus Cartesius) Honorifics (e.g., “Doctor Angelicus” for Aquinas) Avoid: Redundant spelling variations unless historically meaningful
[Year Born] / [Year Died]	Definition: Best scholarly estimate of birth and death year. How to research: Prefer: Primary scholarship consensus Use approximate indicators when needed: “c.” → convert to best integer estimate If uncertain → use NULL or midpoint estimate Avoid: Fake precision for ancient figures
[Sex]	Definition: Biological sex as historically recorded. How to research: Historical records / scholarly consensus Avoid: Modern reinterpretation unless explicitly supported
[Nationality]	Definition: Civilizational or cultural identity, not modern passport status. How to research: Map to: “Ancient Greek” “Roman” “Chinese (Zhou Dynasty)” Then optionally normalize Avoid: Assigning modern nation-states directly (e.g., calling Socrates “Greek (Greece)” without context)
[Religion]	Definition: Declared or inferred religious/philosophical alignment. How to research: Use: Self-identification (if available) Doctrinal alignment (e.g., Christian, Daoist, Atheist) Avoid: Over-precision (e.g., micro-denominations unless critical)
[Mother] / [Father]	Definition: Known biological parents. How to research: Only include if historically documented Use primary biographies Avoid: Guessing or mythological insertions unless clearly labeled
[Birthplace]	Definition: City/region at time of birth. How to research: Use historical place name first Avoid: Replacing with modern name
[Modern Country Name]	Definition: Current geopolitical country corresponding to birthplace. How to research: Map birthplace → modern borders Avoid: Historical naming here (this field is explicitly modern)
INTELLECTUAL NETWORK FIELDS
[Influence 1–5]	Definition: Philosophers or thinkers who materially shaped this philosopher’s thought. How to research: Look for: Explicit citations Known teacher–student relationships Doctrinal inheritance Priority order: Direct teachers Explicitly cited thinkers Major tradition influences Avoid: Generic influences (“Greek culture”) Overfilling with weak connections
[Follower 1–5]	Definition: Philosophers directly influenced by this philosopher. How to research: Use: Schools (e.g., Aristotelians) Named disciples Major intellectual descendants Avoid: Listing entire movements Weak or indirect influence chains
DISCIPLINARY CONTRIBUTION FIELDS
Global rule for all “Contributions to X”	Each field should answer: “What did this philosopher introduce, redefine, or fundamentally advance in this domain?” NOT biography. NOT vague praise.
[Contributions to Metaphysics]	Scope: Nature of reality, being, existence, substance. Look for: Ontology systems (e.g., Aristotle’s substance theory) Dualism / monism Being vs becoming Avoid: Ethical or epistemic spillover
[Contributions to Epistemology]	Scope: Knowledge, belief, justification, certainty. Look for: Skepticism Rationalism vs empiricism Theory of knowledge limits
[Contributions to Logic]	Scope: Formal reasoning systems. Look for: Syllogistic logic Symbolic logic Language–logic relationships Avoid: General “clear thinking” claims
[Contributions to Ethics (Moral Philosophy)]	Scope: Right/wrong, virtue, moral systems. Look for: Virtue ethics (Aristotle) Deontology (Kant) Utilitarian precursors
[Contributions to Aesthetics]	Scope: Beauty, art, taste, perception of form. Look for: Theories of art Beauty as form, harmony, or perception Note: Many philosophers will be NULL here
[Contributions to Political Philosophy]	Scope: State, governance, justice, rights. Look for: Ideal state models (Plato) Social contract (Locke) Power structures (Marx)
[Contributions to Philosophy of Mind]	Scope: Consciousness, self, mind-body relation. Look for: Dualism (Descartes) Phenomenology (Husserl/Heidegger lineage)
[Contributions to Philosophy of Language]	Scope: Meaning, reference, language structure. Look for: Wittgenstein-style analysis Naming, meaning, syntax theories
[Contributions to Philosophy of Science]	Scope: Scientific method, knowledge structure of science. Look for: Empiricism foundations Scientific reasoning frameworks
[Contributions to Philosophy of Religion]	Scope: God, faith, theology, religious reasoning. Look for: Arguments for existence of God Faith vs reason frameworks
EXECUTION RULES (CRITICAL)
No filler text	Every contribution must be specific and identifiable.
Use sentence fragments, not essays	This is a database, not a paper.
Max density per field	Aim for 2–5 tightly written lines per contribution field.
NULL is valid	If no real contribution exists, leave it empty.
Consistency > completeness	Every philosopher should be evaluated with the same standard.