Philosophy

The Catholic theologian St. Thomas Aquinas provided five "proofs for the existence of God, based on Aristotle's arguments. Which of the following is one of the five proofs?

Argument from motion

What role does wonder play in the philosophical thinking process?

Fuel

Which philosopher is most closely related to behaviorism?

Ryle

In The Will to Believe, American thinker William James argues that free will exists. According to James, what is the most convincing reason for believing in the reality of human freedom?

Testimony of direct, lived experience

Which argument forms a disjunctive syllogism?

Either I left my keys at work, or I locked them in the car. I did not leave my keys at work. Therefore, I must have locked them in the car.

Natural law ethicists see ______________ between the major ethical systems of the world, such as the Ten Commandments and the Qur'an.

broad agreement

It is unclear how a person who truly believed what behaviorists say they believe _____________.

could doubt the existence of the inner self

Philosophy provides the conceptual tools needed to ________________________.

creating an inspiring and fulfilling life

How does American philosopher R. E. Hobart define "power" in the context of the compatibilist concept of human freedom?

Ability to cause an effect.

One criterion for evaluating the effectiveness of beliefs is to consider whether the beliefs are falsifiable. Which of the following beliefs can be considered falsifiable?

Alcohol is a non-lethal substance

What is the primary goal of compatibilism?

Align the perspective of indeterminism with that of determinism.

Which situation would the feminist Marilyn Frye identify as a double bind?

By being a stay-at-home mother, Cynthia risks losing her connections to a workforce that she may later wish to rejoin; by being a mother who works, she risks disconnection from her family life because she may miss witnessing aspects of her children's development.

Carson has been arrested and charged with DUI. Once sober, he is full of regret for his actions as he sits in a holding cell waiting to post bail. According to William James, which of the following statements can be logically reasoned from Carson's experience?

Carson would be incapable of having regrets in a universe that is made up solely of actualities

What was the one thing about which the Evil Demon could not deceive Descartes?

His own existence

Which of the following statements does the 18th century French philosopher Baron d'Holbach support in his book The System of Nature?

Human vanity motivates people to believe they are exempt from the laws that govern nature

Is the following argument valid? P1. Either the animal is a fox or a cat. P2. The animal is a cat. C: Therefore, the animal is not a fox.

It is an inductive argument, so we can't determine validity.

Which of the following statements correctly explains the argument from design?

It is rational to assume the order and purposefulness of the university did not simply happen by accident but is the product of an intelligent Creator: namely, God.

What is following argument valid? P1. If it was a fox, it has a furry tail. P2. It had a furry tail. C: It was a fox.

It is valid

Which of the following actions would most compatibilists describe as "free"?

Listening to a favorite song

Constructive criticism is analysis aimed at _______________.

Modus ponens

After completing an introductory course in philosophy, Teneisha views herself as a changed person. In what way is she likely to have changed?

More willing and able to recognize the depth of her life experiences.

According to Russell's reasoning in The Value of Philosophy, what accounts for the fact that present-day philosophers cannot claim that their studies have achieved any definitive answers to the questions they explore?

Once definitive answers are determined regarding a particular subject, the subject becomes its own science.

Which of the following statements is true concerning the origins of philosophy?

The Western concept of philosophy originated in ancient Greece

Which of the following statements would be most supported by Bertrand Russell's work in The Value of Philosophy?

The chief value of philosophy is found in the development of the sciences is once included.

What is the distinction between the concept of oppression and limits to human freedom?

The concept of oppression includes both internal and external constraints.

Consider the following argument: Denise states that the sale of cigarettes should be illegal, noting that, by now, we should all know that smoking cigarettes is an unhealthy behavior. Smokers would find it much easier to quit smoking if cigarettes were no longer readily available to them. Furthermore, smoking harms more than just the smoker. Cigarette smoke pollutes the environment and harms nearly nonsmokers who have not consented to breathe smoke into their lungs. Which statement in Denise's argument is her conclusion?

The sale of cigarettes should be illegal.

As Daisuke is studying aesthetics, what question is he most likely to explore?

What is the nature and purpose of art?

Which question is at the core of political and social philosophy?

What is the nature of justice?

From a determinist perspective, human action is understood as the expression of ________________.

causal determinants as a universal human nature

Which quotation highlights the dialectical nature of the philosophical thinking process?

"The beginning of philosophy is the recognition of the conflict between opinions." Epictetus

Which person is engaged in an "unfree" act, as it is defined by compatibilists W. T. Stace and R. E. Hobart?

A cigarette smoker refraining from smoking in an area where it is prohibited.

_____________ claims that at least come human actions are not predetermined, whereas _________extends this claim to assert the existence of free will.

Compatibilism/indeterminism

Which philosopher is widely considered the "founder of modern philosophy"?

Descartes

With which statement would Descartes most likely agree?

Disciplined reasoning is the true course to understanding.

What is the form of the following argument? P1. Either Sam or Janet will go to the party. P2. Sam didn't go to the party. C: Janet went to the party.

Disjunctive syllogism

What is the form of the following question. P1. If it rains tomorrow, then we won't get to go to the pool. P2. We got to go to the pool. C: Therefore, it didn't rain.

Disjunctive syllogism

What theory of justice is particularly concerned with the fair allocation of a society's resources?

Distributive

Which of the following statements accurately clarifies the important distinction between "having" a philosophy and "doing" philosophy?

Everyone "has" a philosophy, but not everyone "does" philosophy, which requires us to question and evaluate the beliefs that form our philosophies.

What aspect of the critical thinking process is evident in Bertrand Russell's philosophical reasoning when he writes, "to determine the value of philosophy, we must first free our minds from the prejudices of what are wrongly called "practical" man"?

Identification of the assumptions that underline opposing claims

What is the main difference between deductive and inductive forms of argument?

If the premises of a deductive argument are accepted as true, the the conclusion cannot false, if the form is valid.

What type of argument is presented in the following form? Konica is an athlete Konica is thin Therefore, all athletes are thin.

Invalid deductive argument

Philosopher J. L. Mackie poses these two questions: Can an omnipotent being make things that he cannot subsequently control? Can an omnipotent being made rules that then bind himself? Mackie calls these questions the _______.

Paradox of omnipotence

According to d'Holbach, why do many people, including other philosophers and scientists, believe that free choice is possible?

People believe in human freedom because they fear the consequences of life without it.

In The Second Treatise of Civil Government, British philosopher John Locke offers his idea of the social contract theory. For whom does Locke's political philosophy best serve as a supportive rationale?

People seeking to dissolve the authority of a controlling government.

Which statement best expresses how studying philosophy relates to the ancient Greek definition of happiness?

Philosophy provides the tools to help us fulfill our unique potential.

Which issue is most critically explored through the study of metaphysics?

Possibility of life after death

Which professor is described as exhibiting characteristics of an expert critical thinker?

Prof. Larges: His course explores controversial topics, but class discussions remain structured and cohesive as he helps students distinguish among facts, opinions, personal biases, and reliable sources of valid evidence.

Consider the plight of American fast food workers who earn the lowest wages and are provided with few benefits, if any, through their employment. Based on the political philosophy expressed in Manifesto of the Communist Party by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, what is the socialist solution to the problems facing these struggling workers?

Revolt against the capitalist economy and install a government that controls all industry.

According to philosopher Sandra Bartky, what accounts for the fact that many oppressive constraints, such as the message that women are not good at math, are experienced by the oppressed as valid natural aspects of their human experience?

These constraints are so difficult to overcome that the oppressed typically resign themselves to accept the message as an unchangeable aspect of reality.

According to William Perry's developmental model of human thought, a person who has reach the Thinking Critically stage

actively seeks out opposing viewpoints

Essential to the primary definition of philosophy, wisdom is the ability to intelligently ___________________ knowledge.

apply

Some Americans who oppose stricter gun control claim that government regulation of guns is unconstitutional and in violation of the Second Amendment. Clouding their perspective is the ___________ that the U.S. Constitution's "right to bear arms" means that there should be no regulations imposed on that right.

assumption

According to the view of the German philosopher Karl Marx, the _______________ of a society determines the nature of all of its other elements.

economic structure

In order to discover our ultimate destiny, we must

embark on a philosophic journey

By employing such concepts as "equality", "justice", or "fairness", normative political theories directly relate the principles of ________________ to the structure of society.

ethics

The __________ branch of philosophy explores such issues as abortion, capital punishment, euthanasia, human rights, and pornography.

ethics

William K. Clifford's commitment to the epistemological theory known as ___________ was very influential during Victorian times as a compelling argument for an agnostic view of the existence of God.

evidentialism

Unsound arguments that attempt to persuade on the basis of emotion or illogical factors are called ________________.

fallacious

according to Thomas Hobbes's political theory expressed in Leviathan, all human are equal in strength and intellect, and if we were all to live unrestrained in our natural state of being, ___________ is guaranteed.

fear

Differing from the approach of psychologists, Ryle's logical behaviorism________________,

focused on creating conceptual clarit

Which view is held by philosophers like Jerry Fodor, Daniel Dennett, and D. M. Armstrong?

functionalism

The complete liberty of the mind" and "to care for the well-being of the soul" are

goals proposed by philosophers

In The Value of Philosophy Bertrand Russell claims that philosophical contemplation serves as a way to escape from the prison of "the private world of instinctive interests." Russell sees philosophical thinking as an an escape from such confines because it ___________________.

goes beyond the boundaries of the Self and acknowledges the infinity of the universe.

According to French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre, the framework in which "essence precedes existence is appropriately applied to the understanding of ____________.

inanimate objects only

Empirical generalization is a form of _____________reasoning by which a conclusion about an entire group is made based on the observation of a sample that is sufficiently representative of that group.

inductive

An eliminative materialism, Paul Churchland believes that the mind_______________.

is the brain

According to Kierkegaard, to achieve confidence in God's existence we must ____________.

let go of our efforts to prove God's existence with rational means and simply let the reality of his existence become manifest.

Dealing with the most complex, challenging, and profound question to human life, philosophy can best be described as

love or pursuit of wisdom

Many ways have been offered over the years to account for the presence of evil in a beneficent universe, and ___________.

many people believe that these efforts to explain the existence of evil have not been successful.

Someone asking serious questions about the meaning of life will also ask questions about how meaning can be extracted from experience. This scenario illustrates the interdependence of ____________ and ____________, which are two of the major branchs of philosophy.

metaphysics/epistemology

Murder and child abuse are examples of _____________.

moral (non-natural) evil

The philosophical view that all aspects of the universe are composed of nature and energy and can be explained by physical laws is know as _______________.

physicalism

Karen is imagining her ideal society based on the principle of justice. She begins contemplating her design methodically by considering each of the basic elements that constitute social and political structures. As part of this process, she grapples with questions of _______________, to which she responds with the idea of implementing a universal health care system that would be primarily funded through taxation.

public interest

Determinists typically base their view of human freedom on the _______________.

scientific model of the physical universe

In his Political Liberalism, the American philosopher John Rawls claims that the social contract theory _____________.

serves as a tool to help us envision a fair government.

Blaise Pascal formulated the view that humans are faced with a wager on the existence of God--essentially a choice between eternal life and happiness versus ________________________.

some finite please and glory while on earth

Modus ponens, also called "Affirming the antecedent," is one common form of a(n) ___________.

valid deductive argument

One of the essential differences between between liberalism and socialism is that only socialism claims that _______________.

within a fair society, all people should have an equal share in what is produced by the state.