Phil 1010 – Introduction to Philosophy



Phil 1010 – Introduction to Philosophy, Final Exam

Summer, 2013 – Chapters 1-4 & Logical Thinking

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1. According to Plato in The Allegory of the Cave, the major aim of philosophy is:

a) to demonstrate that it is impossible to have certain knowledge

b) to provide guidelines for the proper study of nature and mathematics, but not human nature

c) freedom from the unwarranted beliefs and opinions of others

d) to repudiate all belief in gods

e) to explain the nature of ethics

1.

2. As we discussed in class, there are three traditional divisions of Philosophy:

3.

a) Physics, Metaphysics, and Ethics

b) Metaphysics, Ethics, and Religion

c) Ethics, Philosophy of Science, and Philosophy of Mind

d) Ethics, Epistemology, and Metaphysics

e) Philosophy of God, Philosophy of Reality, and Philosophy of Truth

3 We often credit Socrates as being the father of Western Philosopher. In the Euthyphro dialog, Plato describes Socrates asking Euthyphro to identify what makes all holy things holy, that is, what is the essential nature of holiness. This is critical for Plato because:

a) Plato thinks holiness is meaningless.

b) Plato suggests the ultimate reality is a world of forms. Forms are the essences of things.

c) Plato wants to prove that holiness is a matter of purpose in nature.

d) Plato thinks holiness is one of the three essential parts of man’s nature.

e) Plato wished to prove that Socrates was holy and perhaps even a god.

4 William James agreed with agnostic Thomas Huxley that evidence for something is:

a) proof that the claim is true

b) all one should base their beliefs upon when evidence is available

c) the only justification for ever believing something.

d) to be ignored if it doesn’t fit what you already believe to be true.

e) none of the above

5. Arguing that “You claim that this man is innocent, but you cannot be trusted since you are a criminal as well":

a) is a straw man

b) begs the question

c) is an ad hominem

d) is a post hoc fallacy

e) none of the above. This is a good argument.

6. A valid deductive 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 always true

c) the conclusion is always true.

d) the premises give good support to the conclusion but do not “prove” it..

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

7. A logical argument is composed of:

a) three parts: the claim, the premises, and the conclusion

b) three parts: the claim, the premises, and the facts

c) two parts: the claim and the reasons to believe (also known as “the premises”)

d) two parts: the premises and the reasons to believe

e) one thing: the facts

8. Logical fallacies are deceptive ways of making a claim without good premises. “I believe in God because the Bible says that God exists and the Bible is the word of God."

a) is a straw man.

b) begs the question.

c) is an ad hominem.

d) is a post hoc fallacy.

e) None of the above. This is a good argument.

9. The Traditional View of Human Nature holds which of the following:

a) that the self is distinct form the body but somehow related.

b) that the nature of the self varies between cultures

c) that the self has an independent existence from other selves

d) (a), (b), and (c)

e) (a), and (c)

10. How does Jean-Paul Sartre challenge the traditional view of human nature?

a) He suggests that man’s purpose is to do evil

b) He shows that man has no consciousness

c) He suggests that a person creates their own human nature

d) He suggests that man’s reason may not be unique among the animals and provide purpose as Aristotle thought

e) It doesn’t. Sartre fully supports the Traditional view

11. Aristotle’s version of The Traditional Rationalist View of Human Nature holds that:

a) All human beings regardless of what may distinguish them culturally are unequivocally and equally rational

b) Human purpose fits into the broad scope of purpose in nature

c) Emotion and reason are not in any way determined by gender

d) Men are made in the image of God

e) Purpose exists only in Man.

12. Thomas Hobbes :

a) was a dualist who believed in both minds and bodies.

b) believed that Galileo’s work in physics and astronomy was the proper model for studying human nature

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

d) was a materialist in regard to ultimate reality but did not take a position regarding the mind

e) thought tha

f) t

g) the mind/body problem had been solved by Descartes

13. The Mind/Body problem:

a) proves that it is foolish to think that anything in the mind causes activity in the physical world.

b) is not a problem at all if you believe in Dualism

c) accepts that Dualism may be true and poses the question how can it be so. That is, it asks how can the body and mind truly influence each other.

d) was resolved by Descartes and the Dualist argument

e) denies what is obviously true -- that minds and bodies are different, but somehow related

14. St. Augustine:

a) adopted Plato’s view that the soul is rational, immaterial, and immortal

b) adopted Plato’s view that the soul is immaterial and immortal but rejected the idea that it was rational

c) rejected Aristotle’s view that the soul has a purpose

d) agreed with Aristotle that some men are more rational (or intelligent) than others and thus, suggested they are better servants of God

e) disagreed with Plato that men had the ability to choose between good and evil

15. This theologian presented an influential and ingenious version of the argument for design – one in which God is analogous to a watchmaker, and the world is seen as being like an intricately designed watch:

a) St. Augustine

b) Thomas Aquinas

c) Martin Luther

d) William Paley

e) Bishop George Berkeley

16. George Berkeley believed that the essential basis of reality is:

a) the material world since all our perceptions are dependent upon it.

b) our own mental states. A tree can only exist if it is perceived by a person.

c) space and time which is the structure in which all objects exist.

d) ideas or forms. All physical objects must have their perfect models which gives reality to them.

e) Minds and ideas. A tree can exist if it is not perceived by a person because it is perceived by the mind of God.

17. An inductive argument is a strong argument if:

a) it proves the conclusion.

b) It tells a good story

c) It confirms what the audience already believes

d) It disputes what the audience believes

e) it has premises that provide relevant evidence for its claim

18, The most obvious, everyday “knowledge” (common sense) that we seem to have about our world like our belief that we have both a mind and a body:

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

b) is always false

c) often leads to perplexing paradoxes when analyzed carefully

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

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

.

19. William James was a Pragmatist. Pragmatists hold that:

a) reality does not exist. William James concluded that reality itself is not real.

b) it is pointless to talk about reality.

c) reality is whatever you think it is.

d) our reality is largely dependent upon mythologies which we must abandon.

e) reality is what “works.”

20. Atheism can be compared and contrasted with agnosticism by the following:

a) Both are denials of the existence of God. There are some minor differences but none that are significant to the major issue whether God exists.

b) The atheist at least is honest in his denial of the existence of God. The agnostic weasels and says that God doesn’t exist, but it is okay to say that God exists when it is convenient.

c) While the atheist denies that God exists, the agnostic says “God may exist. We don’t know.”

d) While the atheist denies that God exists, the agnostic always says “God may or may not exist. We don’t know yet, but someday science will determine it.”

e) both c) and d) are true.

21. Kant argued against the Ontological Argument for the Existence of God by contending that:

a. order in the universe was an illusion

b. who could say what is the first cause?

c. it begged the question.

d. Paley had not proven that the Designer had created an intelligent universe

e. the process of natural selection was evidence for design

22. Who formulated the argument for God’s existence that God is by definition “that which none greater can be conceived,” implying that God must therefore also necessarily exist, since to not exist would be to allow an imperfection in God:

a) David Hume

b) Soren Kierkegaard

c) Ninian Smart

d) St. Anselm

e) Bishop George Berkeley

23. Thomas Aquinas’ argument for the existence of God was:

a) the Cosmological Proof

b) the Ontological Proof.

c) a refutation of the Cosmological Proof

d) the Argument by Design

e) a refutation of the Argument From Evil

24. Suppose you do NOT have a good argument either for or against the existence of God, but you decide to believe in the Greek gods of Homer because you want to have purpose in your life. William James would probably challenge you and ask:

a) Since obviously you are stating a belief that ultimately is either true or false, it has to be decided on intellectual, not “passional,” grounds.

b) Given your own “passional” nature, what is the evidence for the belief?

c) is that a living option for you?

d) is that a momentous option for you?

e) Is that a forced option for you?

25. What existentialist philosopher argued not only that God does not exist, but that the consequence of this is that human beings have no fixed nature?

a. Soren Kierkegaard

b. Thomas Aquinas

c. Edmund Husserl

d. William Paley

e. Jean-Paul Sartre

26. Anti-Realism is a view that says:

a) “Realism” must be opposed by “force.” That is, our intuition must resist what it is trying to impose on us.

b) The external world is totally a deception.

c) Only our language is real. If we cannot describe something, it cannot exist.

d) Realism is a pre-condition of sanity.

e) The external world is at least partially determined by the way we think about it.

27. This thinker sought to account for evil by describing evil as the absence of the good. That is, evil is incomplete good.

a. David Hume

b. St. Augustine

c. Immanuel Kant

d. William Paley

e. Descartes

28. The “argument from evil”:

a) typically tries to argue for theism

b) typically tries to argue for pantheism

c) typically tries to argue for agnosticism

d) typically tries to argue for atheism

e) typically tries to argue against atheism

29. To give a logical argument that God exists, one must:

a) be a virtuous person

b) have a definition of “God“ that does not beg the question.

c) hold that existence is a property of an object

d) say that existence is a relationship between objects and reality

e) clarify how God expects man to conduct himself

30. A premise:

a) is always the proof to a conclusion whether the argument is deductive or inductive

b) is only as good as the facts that are clear

c) can add support to the claim even if the claim is totally vague.

d) can add support to the conclusion even if the premise is totally subjective.

e) is a reason for believing a conclusion is true.

31. In this class and for most logicians, an argument proves the conclusion if:

a) given the premises, the argument is extremely convincing

b) there are no alternative claims that make sense

c) the argument is a valid, deductive argument

d) the argument is a strong, inductive argument

e) the argument is a strong inductive argument and everyone believes the premises to be true

32. The question “How Should I Live?” is a question one would want to ask in a class in:

a) Metaphysics

b) Epistemology

c) Cosmology

d) Ethics

e) Psychology

33. You could expect a Logical Positivist to argue that:

a) God probably is real if we were able to clarify what reality is, but even then it would be meaningless to attribute characteristics to Her, like existence.

b) We don’t know if God exists or not, but it would be meaningless to attribute characteristics or properties to Her.

c) We are asking a nonsense question when we ask if God exists.

d) God probably exists, but it is meaningless to ask if Her existence matters personally in the lives of men.

e) God does not exist because we have not proven that She does.

34. 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

e) none of the above, neither teleological or mechanistic.

35. William James challenged the classical view of realism by asking:

a) What difference does it make for something to be real?

b) If I believe something is real, how can it NOT be real?

c) Why we do we have to explain what is real rather than just accepting it to be?

d) How could we ever know that a world exists independent of our language that describes it?

e) How can we ever determine if reality means the same thing to everybody?

36. A value judgment is subjective:

a) if it is just someone’s opinion and they can’t give a good argument for it but someone else can.

b) when another person can give a better argument for the opposite point of view.

c) when the claim that is being made by one side is “right” and the other side is refuting the same claim and they too are “right”

d) if someone says “well someone has to be right, but I don’t care who is.”

e) all of the above

37. Rene Descartes suggested that you might think you can doubt all things, but one most basic thing reason could never doubt is:

a) that God exists because that would be the greatest arrogance for man to doubt God

b) that the external world exists because if the world does not exist, you could not be in the world.

c) that a human being is a thinking self because if you could not think, you could not doubt

d) that God is good because an evil demon is absolutely unthinkable.

e) none of the above. Descartes believed that he could doubt all things and that nothing was certain.

38. Why was George Berkeley not a solipsist?

a) Berkeley was a bishop in the Catholic church and thought philosophy was an insult to God.

b) Berkeley was a Rationalist.

c) Solipsism is a Materialistic view.

d) Berkeley believed that objects only exist when a human mind perceives them.

e) Berkeley believed that objects can exist when only the Divine mind perceives them.

39. Descartes believed of the human soul:

a) that it was the essential self but it could not exist without the body

b) that it was the essential self and that he could imagine it without the body

c) that it has a moral imperative to know God and to seek justice

d) that persons have no self because all that they understand is change

e) that man was in a state of original sin

40. In all likelihood, Socrates’ most enduring contribution to Philosophy was:

a) the Socratic Method which in combination with the scientific method always provides a method to find the truth on any matter.

b) the Socratic Method which asks continual questions until a contradiction is exposed, thus proving the fallacy of the initial assumption.

c) the Socratic Method which asks continual questions until a contradiction is exposed, thus providing a method always to determine who is right in a logical argument.

d) his solution to the problem of reality

e) his Allegory of the Cave which convinced the wise of Athens to pursue philosophy

41-45. In 150-200 words each, answer one of the following two questions:

a) Describe similarities and differences between 1) “being a practical person who acts on common sense” and 2) being an advocate of Philosophical Pragmatism. Was William James just saying “Be practical?” Discuss the following Ben Franklin “thought experiment” and what it suggests about this: How was Benjamin Franklin interested in lightning? For its usefulness or for its potential beauty? Thus, was he being practical? So, was he a philosophical pragmatist? What if Ben suggests to us that lightning is beautiful and real because it can be harnessed as electricity?

b) Describe similarities and differences between 1) Galileo’s approach to modern philosophy and science, and 2) Descartes’ approach to modern philosophy and science. Discuss the similarities and differences in each of their commitments to the idea of Rationalism. Discuss the value of each approach and the significance of each one’s contributions to science. Which one prevailed to generally considered to be “the father of modern science?” Why?

46-50. In 150-200 words each, answer one of the following two questions:

a) Describe the Argument From Design. Who proposed it and what was his argument? Hume’s response to it, and the relevance of the theory of evolution to the argument.

b) Describe all three classical proofs for the existence of God and the Argument from Evil as an argument for atheism and clearly describe clearly at least one major problem with each of the four arguments.

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