Top 5 Philosophical Latin Phrases

In the midst of studying for an Epistemology exam I have been struck with the volume of Latin phrases employed by philosophers to convey their theories. With the beginning of the early modern period in philosophical writing the idea of using Latin exclusively for philosophy was thrown out the window, but philosophers knew that reciting Latin would make stoned future students sound more profound and intelligent than they actually are so determined that the names of their key concepts would sound better in Latin.

In descending order here are my top 5 philosophical latin phrases to make you sound more intelligent than you actually are.

5. Tabula Rasa - Blank Slate

Tabula Rasa was a phrase employed most famously by John Locke. He claimed that humans are born without any innate knowledge, the mind being born as a blank slate. Locke is an empiricist and who believed that any knowledge we acquire comes from our senses meaning the mind must be born as a tabula rasa.

4. Bellum Omnium Contra Omnes - The War of All against All

Thomas Hobbes envisaged something called the State of Nature which is similar to a brutish and war-like Original Position. It is a situation before a state and before a law system has been created. Hobbes wrote during the English Civil War and it perhaps shows in his vision of such a horrific concept of what humanity would be like in a state of nature. The Hobbesian state of nature is one where every man is at war with every man, in a brutish, short and miserable life and makes up the basis for the Hobbesian state. Bellum Omnium Contra Omnes was a phrase he used to describe the fighting he believed would occur in such a situation.

3. Ens Causa Sui - Cause of Oneself (sort of)

Causa Sui has been used by a number of theorists and philosophers, but it is in the existentialist context used by Jean-Paul Sartre that I first became aware of the term. Sartre wrote in 'Being and Nothingness' that man seeks completion and religion does this through God. He used the term Ens Causa Sui to refer to this.

2. A Priori and A Posteriori

Unlike the previous phrases A Priori and A Posteriori are not used or synonymous with any single philosopher but are common to many. The two phrases are unavoidable when it comes to Epistemology and are common to philosophy students from a standard grade RMPS level. A Priori knowledge is that which we know independently from knowledge, e.g. 'All sisters are female', whilst A Posteriori is knowledge attained and proved through empirical evidence, e.g. 'Some sisters are unhappy'. Both terms are used commonly in philosophy and it is rare to see the literal English translation.

1. Cogito Ergo Sum - I Think Therefore I Am

No surprises at what I've put at number one. Everyone knows this phrase. Without a doubt it is the most famous phrase in philosophy and one that is used by philosophers and non-philosophers alike. Unfortunately this means that it is miss-represented constantly by people who have not studied philosophy. It was used by Descartes in an attempt to prove that he does exist. He used a thought-experiment called the 'Methodological Skepticism' in which he showed that as senses are fallible it is impossible to really know the existence of anything, but by thinking about whether oneself exists is proof in itself that one does indeed exist. I think therefore I am.

And there we have it, the top five Latin phrases to use to show how philosophically intelligent you are. Now roll a joint, grow your hair and speak with that arrogance only a person who has learnt some deep sounding philosophical phrases can.