Philosophy FINAL EXAM

Explain the two basic kinds of freedom giving an example of each.

Psychological freedom: Ability to want what you want rather than having your wanting determined by outside factors. Ex: Wanting a brand new car. Freedom of execution: Ability to get what you want. Ex: Wanting to go to 7/11 but you cannot because you are in prison.

What is the strongest evidence that non-human animals lack the capacity for abstract thought?

They don't engage in conversation where they try to share ideas or gain new ideas.

Explain how free choices which one makes affect one's ability to make free choices later on in regard to: One's Psychological freedom and Freedom of execution.

1) Getting drunk alters one's Psychological freedom because it does not allow the person to think straight. 2) If one performs a criminal act, then they will get put into jail which limits their Freedom of execution as they cannot do things like go to 7/11.

Give the proof for the immortality of the soul which is NOT based o the immateriality of our concepts

1) The intellect is unlimited as to the activity of understanding the material world. (First premise) 2) The use of an organ in order to acquire knowledge limits the knowledge which can be acquired. -> A Organ is a material thing and matter is a limiting factor because it can only have one forma t one time and this determines what it can do. 3)Thus, one must conclude that the intellect carries on its operations without the use of any organ. Its operations transcend what is purely physical. 4)As a thing is so it acts. --> The being of a thing and its operations must correspond. One's ability to perform a certain activity corresponds to what one is; what one has in one. If one is small or a weakling one cannot lift 150 lbs. 5)Thus, given that the intellect's operation is non-physical, it itself must be non-physical, immaterial. 6)The human soul is the cause of the intellect (the ability to think). So it too must be immaterial. 7)What is not material cannot be destroyed by any natural means. Thus, the human soul is not corruptible. Since the soul is the life principle, being incorruptible means that the soul never dies, i.e., that it is immortal.

Give Plato's explanation of how we acquire intellectual knowledge

According to Plato, learning is recollection. 1) Ideas are universal, unchanging, and immaterial. The world around us is particular, changing, and material 2) There must be a 1:1 correspondence between ideas and things 3) Therefore there must be a world where things are universal, unchanging, and immaterial (The world of forms) Plato believed that this was where we would recollect our knowledge from.

Give Aristotle's explanation of how we acquire intellectual knowledge

Aristotle believed that there was an agent involved in intellectual knowledge, this agent, he referred to as the agent intellect. Which is what causes intellectual operation and understanding. He believes that the agent is responsible for receiving the images from our senses and allowing us to interpret them and choose how we act upon them. Aristotle also explained that the cause of intellectual knowledge is partly known through sensation. Therefore if you do not have the correct sense knowledge for an object you cannot learn it. Example: Color, cannot learn science of optics.

Name all the basic powers which belong to the human being. Which of them does the human being have in common with animals? Which are unique to humans?

Motor activities: Ex Walking Senses: 5 senses, 4 internal senses, emotions Vegetative activites: Growth, Nutrition, Reproduction Intellectual: Intellect and Free will (ONLY FOR HUMANS) The rest are in common with animals.

Is the brain the intellect? Explain. Why do people erroneously think this is the case?

No, the Brain is Physical and the intellect is not. People think this way because they see thinking depends on imagining, and they see that imagining is a process carried by the brain and they make a false association that because something depends on another its a part of the other, which is not true. Ex: We depend on air but we are not part of air.

Does the fabrication (making) of tools distinguish human beings from animals? Why or why not? Does technology distinguish human beings from animals? Why or why not? Include in your explanation how animals make tools, and how humans make simple tools.

No, the making of tools does not distinguish humans from animals because animals make tools too. For example, Chimps make termite fishing tools. Yes, Technology does distinguish human beings from animals. Animals make tools using: External senses, internal senses, trial & error. Humans make tools the same way except we have more experience. Technology is based on abstract principles that apply to things that seem different to our senses. For example, some of the laws of physics apply to both a bridge and a building.

Is the human being a product of evolution? Explain fully (Include chart given in class)

The human body has two parts: Sensitive body and rational soul. The rational soul cannot evolve because it is not a physical thing. Free will cannot evolve but a body suited to a being with free will can. Evolution tends to produce animals with increasing autonomy. Nonliving natural things, No autonomy, can't move on their own Plants, can move on their own by growth but is determined by outside factors Higher animals, move from place to place, exhibit behavior, but behavior is determined by nature/nurture. Human beings: Have full autonomy because we can override nature+nurture Ex: Shy person can grow up in a asocial family but can still become a politician.

Discuss the relationship between internet usage, double ignorance, and the loss of wonder

To know and not just believe an answer requires looking at pros and cons vs taking the first answer that sounds good using your own mind to put together the argument and relate the argument back to your own experience. The thing about the internet is that it kills wonder because it makes us know things that we really do not know because generally we ave a habit of looking for short and quick answers that prevents us from actually knowing something.

In what way are all human beings equal? In what ways do they differ and why?

We all have a sensitive body and a rational soul We differ in our abilities. Ex: Some people can sing on key and other cannot The causes of our differences: 1) Nature: Born with damaged vocal cords 2) Nurture: Raised to sing well 3) Free will: Decided to develop voice