intro to philosophy midterm
For Descartes, why do we necessarily exist, despite the possibility that we're being deceived by an evil demon?
Because even if we doubt our existence, we must exist to doubt it.
Who is René Descartes?
A philosopher who considered skeptical scenarios involving dreams and evil demons.
What is meant by "Limbo"?
A place where unbaptized people go for eternity after they die.
According to Descartes, which best describes the soul?
A thinking thing.
According to Russell, the "man who has no tincture of philosophy"...
All of the above.
Which of the following is not a type of idea, according to Descartes?
All of the above.
For Paley, which of the following is implied by a law?
An agent and a power.
Why does Ryle hold that his position will show materialism and Idealism to be answers to the wrong question?
Because both positions presuppose the official doctrine.
According to Aquinas, why can't something be its own efficient cause?
Because then it would be prior to itself, which is impossible.
Why might the phenomenon of dreaming lead us to a sort of skepticism?
Because there is no principled way to tell the difference between a dream and real life.
Why is the refusal to give reasons disrespectful, according to Antony?
Because we are rational creatures, and we owe it to each other to reveal the basis for our beliefs.
If the watch produces replicas of itself, how is it different from a carpenter, according to Paley?
Carpenters cause the relation between the parts of what they create and its use.
Socrates stands charged of...
Corrupting the youth.
Antony writes that she wasn't convinced by the various arguments for God's existence. Which of the following isn't a philosopher she mentions in this regard?
David Hume.
In order to establish any firm and lasting knowledge, for Descartes, what must he do?
Find something certain and indubitable that can act as a foundation for whatever one knows.
According to the ontological argument, God exists because...
God is that than which nothing greater can be meant, and if God didn't exist, He wouldn't be greatest..
Divine command theory holds that...
God puts moral value into the world, so whatever is good is what He wants to happen..
The first objection to God's existence states that by God we mean something infinitely good, and...
God's existence is thus inconsistent with there being bad things in the world, so God can't exist..
Why doesn't Socrates try to gain sympathy from his jury?
He believes he should only be acquitted on the basis of justice and the law.
Why does Socrates take himself to be wiser than the people he interviews?
He finds they think they know things they don't actually know, and he doesn't.
With regard to the official doctrine, what was the problem of free will?
How to reconcile mechanical descriptions of the mind with the knowledge that mind is different.
Which of the following best characterizes the position Anselm argues for?
If God exists in one's understanding, necessarily God exists.
Choose the answer that best fills in the missing step in Anselm's argument: (i) God is that than which nothing greater can be conceived. (ii) God exists in one's understanding. (iii)
If God only exists in one's understanding, we could still conceive of God existing in reality..
According to Anselm, God...
Is that which nothing greater can be conceived..
Descartes finds reason to doubt everything because...
It is possible that there is an evil demon deceiving him about everything..
What theoretical problem does the official doctrine face?
It is unclear how a person's mind and body influence each other.
According to Russell, science is valuable primarily for...
Its effects on mankind in general..
According to Russell, philosophy aims at which of the following types of knowledge?
None of the above.
Of the following considerations, which isn't one Paley considers regarding our reaction to finding the watch?
None of the above.
Which of the following best defines "category mistake"?
Representing something as if it belongs to one logical category, when it actually belongs to another.
Which of the following best characterizes Aquinas's response to the objection that God can't exist because there is evil in the world?
Since God is supremely good, He would only allow evil to exist if He could bring good out of it.
According to Anselm, not only is God that which nothing greater can be conceived, God is also...
Something greater than can be conceived..
Evenus is a...
Sophist.
What scenario does Descartes imagine that is even more nefarious than dream skepticism?
That an evil demon is deceiving us.
After being condemned to death, what is Socrates' prophecy?
That killing him will only bring more critics like him.
According to Russell, a benefit of making one's mind accustomed to freedom and impartiality is...
That one will become more free and impartial in the world of action and emotion..
Which of the following best characterizes the kind of rationality Antony encourages us to embrace?
The human capacity for logical reflection.
What is the "official doctrine"?
The theory that the mind and the body are separate entities.
For Aquinas, there must be something maximally true, good, and noble, because...
There must be something by which to measure gradations of goodness, truth, and nobility..
According to Russell, what is the problem with philosophies that assimilate the world to Man?
They impair any attempt at forming a union between the Self and not-Self.
According to Paley, how would we respond if asked how a watch we found in a heath got there?
We would suppose that the watch was at some point created by someone.
According to Descartes, when is the will most free?
When it is certain about what to choose.
Anselm is seeking to __________ the truth of God.
better understand.
What is Nozick getting at with his experience machine thought experiment?
both (b) and (c)