Phil 1010 – Introduction to Philosophy



Phil 1010 – Introduction to Philosophy

Midterm Exam, Fall, 2014

Name: _____________________________________________

1. The word philosophy comes from the Greek words for “to love” and” wisdom.” The following is true about philosophy:

a) The aim of philosophy is to understand the universe and man’s place in it, thus philosophy is not interested in questions which seem to be too difficult for a quick answer

b) Once knowledge seems obtained in philosophical inquiry, all future philosophers are obligated not to question it because that would be to deny the wisdom of the past

c) In the tradition of Socrates, philosophers are engaged in a search for truth which may need to question what was previously thought to be true

d) Philosophy is an intellectual activity that should be entirely free of emotion and passion.

2. Philosophy may be more interested in questions than answers. This seems reasonable because

:

a) There will never be any real answers, but the questions at least are interesting

b) Knowledge and wisdom can be gained through the clarification of questions and our pursuit of them even when we may have no final answer to a particular question

c) Once we have an answer to a question, the issue becomes uninteresting

d) Philosophy rejects everything we know anyway, like, for example, that we have minds.

3. The most obvious, everyday “knowledge” that we seem to have about our world like our belief that we have both a mind and a body or that the material world is real:

a) should not be questioned because we already must have good reasons to believe it.

b) often leads to perplexing paradoxes when analyzed carefully.

c) should not be challenged by philosophy because it is the foundation of all that we know.

d) is always true and thus philosophy needs to explain why it is true

.

4. Plato’s Allegory of the Cave and his Idealism known as the “Theory of Ideas” describes reality. Plato suggests:

5.

a) that the reality we believe in is a shadow and there is another reality that represents true knowledge but that is totally unknowable

b) that the reality we believe in is a shadow and we will never know whether there is another reality. In other words, we can never escape our chains.

c) that the reality we believe in is a shadow but there is another reality that represents true knowledge but that we could know at least in part by our reason

d) that the reality we believe in is true and all there is, but it appears to us as shadow because of our ignorance.

5. Which one of the following statements about Jean Paul Sartre is true?

a) Sartre believed that man’s primary and innate desire was for autonomy and enlightenment

b) Sartre believed that man acted only in self-interest.

c) As an existentialist, he believed that man had no fixed human nature.

d) As an existentialist, he expressed no view on human nature.

a)

6. The question “What is Truth?” is a question typically regarded as one in ________, and the question “Is the Unexamined Life Worth Living?” is a question from ________:

a) Metaphysics, Ethics

b) Epistemology, Ethics

c) Epistemology, Epistemology

d) Ethics, Ethics

7. In the Euthyphro dialog, Plato describes Socrates asking whether something is holy because the gods love it or do the gods love what is holy because it is holy? This is a most important question for Plato wanted to understand:

a) whether the argument was deductive or inductive

b) what are all the characteristics we can know about the gods

c) what single characteristic is the one that allows us to understand what holiness is

d) only whether gods are holy.

8. A good “reason to believe” or a premise

a) can prove a conclusion whether the argument is deductive or inductive

b) can prove a conclusion if the facts are strong enough

c) can never actually prove a conclusion. It only makes it more likely.

d) can be used to prove a conclusion in a deductive argument.

9. A good or strong inductive argument is one in which

a) if the premises are true, then the conclusion necessarily is (I.e. has to be) true.

b) the premises are true and the conclusion is true.

c) the premises prove the conclusion

d) if the premises are true, then the conclusion is probably true, but not necessarily.

10. A valid deductive argument is:

a) if the premises are true, then the conclusion necessarily is (I.e. has to be) true.

b) the premises are always true

c) the conclusion is always true.

d) if the premises are true, then the conclusion is probably true, but not necessarily.

11. Gail Stenstad argued that:

a) Epistemology historically may appear to be male dominated, but actually it is not.

b) Epistemology historically favored Theoretical Thinking over Anarchic Thinking.

c) Epistemology historically favored Anarchic Thinking over Theoretical Thinking.

d) Historically, any philosopher who even suggested that there may be multiple ways to think of truth was always dismissed.

12. Socrates engaged himself in questioning students and citizens in an unending search for truth. He was attempting to:

a) perhaps discover the error of initial assumptions.

b) demonstrate to the student that the true answer was whatever they thought it was

c) prove to them his own superior knowledge

d) make the students aware that they would always be fools.

13. Socrates’ primary focus was:

a) To determine how to gain power in society.

b) To determine what is the nature of the cosmos

c) To determine how one should live

d) To determine if there was purpose in life

14. Socrates is often described as “the Father of Western Philosophy.” This is because:

a) He was the first philosopher that we know anything about.

b) He was the first philosopher who wrote down his views.

c) He provided a rigorous method by which ethical investigation could be done.

d) He was the first philosopher to attempt a wide and deep exploration of metaphysical problems.

15. The fundamental principle of critical thinking can be stated as:

a) evidence is indisputable, so as long as you rely on the evidence, no one can challenge you.

b) that facts are relative and people will believe pretty much whatever they want.

c) that people are often swayed by rhetoric and fallacies.

d) a logical argument is composed of an opinion which is supported by presenting reasons to believe that the opinion is true or right.

16. The instructor played a video of Rod Stewart singing “A Wonderful World” in class to prove:

a) that philosophy “rocks”

b) that nature, the universe, and ourselves are complex and wonderful.

c) Wait. The lyrics or emotional quality of a song don’t prove anything. But he wanted to convince us that philosophy was cool.

d) Wait. The lyrics or emotional quality of a song don’t prove anything. But he wanted to help us to feel a sense of the passion that philosophy derives from.

17. The Allegory of the Cave is one of the most profound descriptions of the nature of man and philosophy’s potential role in our lives. In it, Plato describes man as:

a) everyone should ultimately hopeless in gaining true knowledge

b) a victim to our human nature in which it is determined that we will must always strive for power over others.

c) in a difficult struggle to attain truth and wisdom

d) all of the above.

18. Suppose someone suggests the following argument:

P1 - All women are mothers.

P2 - LeBron James is a mother.

____

Thus, LeBron James is a woman.

Assuming there is no vagueness or ambiguity about what is meant (which if course there probably is), the following analysis of the argument would be correct:

a) The argument has an invalid logical form.

b) The argument is a valid deductive argument but the premises are not both true.

c) The argument is invalid because it lacks good evidence.

d) The argument is invalid because LeBron James is not a mother.

19. On the question of how one should live one’s life, Plato:

a) Argued that since there is no enduring self, there can be no principles for our actions.

b) Argued that since the purpose of man is to serve the gods, our every action should be directed to that end.

c) Argued that reason should control our actions.

d) Argued that since the enduring self consists of a cosmic unity of consciousness with all persons, right action is a matter of doing what is best for society.

20. Plato described the three-part self of a person as:

a) a triangle in which to be perfect, each side must be equal.

b) a triptych in which three panels together compose a work of art.

c) a human image or representation of the Divine Trinity

d) a chariot, in which a charioteer controls two horses.

21. The following is/are true about Rene Descartes:

a) “He was a materialist who believed that only the material world exists.”

b) “He believed that the human mind could be thought of as a machine.”

c) “He was skeptical that the scientific techniques of observation and measurement would be totally sufficient to understand the mind of man.”

d) all of the above

22. Ethics typically asks questions about:

a) the mind

b) the natural world

c) human conduct

d) knowledge

e) ontology and cosmology

f)

23. Which of the following is not a major belief that exists in all versions of the Traditional Western View of Human Nature?

a) That the self has no independent existence from other selves

b) That the self is distinct from the body, but somehow is related.

c) That the self is conscious and has a purpose

d) All of the above are major beliefs in the Traditional Western View of Human Nature.

24. Various critics of the Traditional Rationalist View of Human Nature have argued that:

a) As man is made in the image of God, that conception must be central to human reason.

b) there is no such thing as a universal “human nature”

c) it is man’s soul, not his reason, that sets him apart as a creation of God.

d) all of the above

25. Plato’s view of human nature differed from Aristotle’s primarily in that:

a) Aristotle did not accept the basics of the traditional Western view that Plato advanced.

b) Plato believed that man’s direction in life was to seek wisdom and Aristotle did not.

c) Aristotle believed that man had a material soul and Plato did not.

d) None of the above.

26. In this class, we have suggested that the appropriate domain of study for Philosophy:

a) is exactly the same as psychology. It should study only what psychology can study meaningfully, else it is likely to become subjective.

b) is exactly the same as physics. It should study only what physics can study meaningfully, else it is likely to become subjective.

c) includes physics and psychology, but not literature or art. Literature and art are obviously subjective.

d) Stop, there is none. Philosophy does not have a domain in which it must limit itself. A science such as psychology is about human behavior, philosophy is not about anything in particular. It can ask a question about anything.

27. For Aristotle, all living things and the natural world have purpose and the purpose of man is to:

a) control desires and aggression through reason

b) reproduce mankind

c) gain advantage over other men

d) satisfy all his desires

28. A fundamental difference between Plato and Aristotle was:

a) Plato was a Rationalist and Aristotle was a Materialist.

b) Plato did not believe fundamentally that understanding the physical world was a worthy pursuit of our reason.

c) Plato did not believe the self had a purpose, although he agreed that nature did.

d) Aristotle disagreed with Plato over Socrates’ statement that the unexamined life was not worth living.

29. A person who says that “when it comes to philosophy, everybody has their own opinions and you can’t say they are wrong regardless, if they honestly believe it” is:

a) a realist

b) a subjectivist

c) a scholar

d) absolutely right!

30. Realism is:

a) the view that the real world exists independent of our language but not necessarily our perception of it

b) the view that the real world exists independent of our language, our thoughts, our perceptions, or our beliefs about it.

c) the view that the real world exists, but of course our language, our thoughts, our perceptions, or our beliefs helps to make it what it is in some way.

d) the view that the real world exists as elements of our mind.

31. If I were to try to make an argument that every classroom at Metro should have a clock on the wall, I would have to:

a) only state all my facts clearly.

b) only make sure everyone knew what kind of clock I wanted and then I could expect everybody to agree

c) clearly state what value(s) is/are being used as a premise since I am making a normative claim

d) give evidence why my claim is normative

32. According to Charles Darwin,

a) natural selection proves that God does not exist

b) random variations and natural selection cause species to evolve and such complexity does not require purpose or design as an explanation.

c) the purpose of a species is to reproduce his kind

d) man is the fittest animal to survive and thus truly occupies a position of domination over all other animals

33. Which one of the following thinkers was heavily influenced by Aristotle on the nature of human purpose?

a) St. Paul

b) Thomas Aquinas

c) St. Augustine

d) All of the above.

34. Which of the following is a statement that the existentialist Jean-Paul Sartre made:

a) “Man is condemned to be only who he is.”

b) “Existence precedes essence.”

c) “Essence precedes existence.”

d) “Man is fully determined by his nature and his choices.”

35. Which of the following is a statement which Rene Descartes made:

a) “Nothing that is known can be known through observation.”

b) “If you would be a real seeker after truth, it is necessary that you do not doubt, as far as possible, all things.”

c) “I think, therefore I am.”

d) “One should accept a thing as true when it is known with as much probability as he can obtain given the circumstance.”

36. The Socratic Method emphasizes:

a) challenging common understanding

b) insisting on clarity and consistency in posing a question and an answer to it

d) seeking to know what is the single thing that makes a thing what it is.

e) all of the above

37. Aristotle suggested everything in the universe has a purpose. Thus, the basic strategy of Aristotle’s for explaining the world is:

a) teleological, as is Darwin’s

b) teleological, in contrast to Darwin

c) mechanistic, as is Darwin’s

d) mechanistic, in contrast to Darwin

38. George Berkeley proposed that:

a. God created a material and physical world in which our minds can exist.

b. The world we perceive does not exist.

c. The world we perceive is not external to and independent of the mind.

d. The world we perceive in our individual minds is all there is

.

39. Philosophers before Socrates like Democritus frequently were:

a) Materialists

b) Idealists

c) Epistemologists.

d) Christians.

40. Metaphysically, Plato is generally thought to be:

a) An anti-realist.

b) A subjective Idealist.

c) An objective idealist.

d) A pragmatist.

41-45 (5 points) In 200-250 words, do Plato, Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas, and St. Augustine all believe that the essential nature of man is rationality and purpose? What are the four fundamental beliefs that they all accept? How might St. Augustine or Aquinas describe the related issues differently than Plato or Aristotle?

Do Plato and St. Augustine both believe in free will? Give an argument to support your answer.

46-50. (5 points). 46-50. (5 points) Propose a strong inductive argument that you should pass this class. Is this question clear? Is it too vague? Is it ambiguous? Be sure your claim is clear and the argument has relevant premises (of course!). Identify whether the claim is factual or normative, and justify why your argument is strong, depending on the nature of the required support for an inductive argument. Given that your argument is strong, should I be convinced by your argument that you are right? Why or why not? Is your argument sound? Have you proven your case? THERE IS NO LENGTH RESTRICTION TO YOUR ANSWER, BUT STAY RELEVANT. NO POINTS GIVEN FOR B.S.

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