Midterm Exam
He is considered as the father of modern existentialism.
Soren Kierkegaard
Although he doubted God at first, Descartes has eventually come to terms that he cannot deny God's existence. As a thinking being, Descartes realizes that he can have a concept of a perfect being, or a perfect knowledge about mathematical equations and morals. Hence he reasons that a perfect being has to exist who gave him these perfect knowledge. An imperfect human being like him cannot produce perfect ideas and knowledge, rather perfect knowledge has to logically come from a perfect being. Thus Descartes believes that a perfect God has to exist who gave him this perfect knowledge even though he himself (Descartes) is an imperfect human being. With the above rationalist arguments, Descartes does believe in God.
true
St. Thomas Aquinas' cosmological arguments for God's existence contends that by observing the world or the cosmos, we can derive some principles - of motion, causation, hierarchy, etc. - and from which we can use them to argue that there is a God.
true
Skepticism The principle of universal causation The principle of induction Impressions ideas
--a philosophical position doubting all assumptions until proved or claiming that no knowledge is possible in any circumstances. --Contends that every event has a cause or causes can be discovered through observation or systematic investigation. --Contends that, using our understanding of causal relations, we can make justifiable inferences and predictions about future events. --refer to those phenomena directly experienced through the senses, or emotions that are directly felt, and they are mostly lively and vivid. --are the product of our memory or imagination, and they lack the liveliness and vividness of impressions.
Which of the following statements are true in Buddhist and Shinto religions?
-In Buddhism' eightfold path, the right to livelihood means one's business or profession must not harm others or disrupt social harmony. -Kami refers to quality; that which is above; gives wonder and awe in us. It also harmonizes heaven and earth. -The kami tends to reside in beautiful or powerful places such as Mt. Fuji, Niagara Falls, Grand Canyon or Boddhi tree. -Some Shinto shrines are completely empty at the center, and the kami is purely felt as an internal energy.
Ontological or rationalist argument for God's existence Cosmological argument for God's existence Scholasticism God as the unmoved mover. the Argument from Design or Ultimate End
-Proposed by St. Anselm, who contends that God's existence can be proven by the use of pure reasoning or thinking. -Proposed by St. Thomas Aquinas, who contends that God's existence can be proven through the observation of the "cosmos' - or the physical universe. -a philosophy formed during the middle ages that stresses on "reason, logic and observation of the world" in order to support religious faith - and not just by using the Bible or any sacred scriptures. -St. Thomas Aquinas's 1st argument in proving God's existence. -St. Thomas Aquinas's 5th argument in proving God's existence.
Hinduism Buddhism Daoism or Taoism Judaism Christianity
-considers ultimate reality to be unknowable. -is focused on the goal of being free of one's desires. -is focused on the goal of coming into harmony with reality. -is based primarily on monotheism. -believes that Jesus is the son of God and savior of mankind.
Noumenal reality Phenomenal reality A priori proposition A posteriori proposition Esse est percipi. Atheism
-the world beyond our perceptions; reality in-itself. -the world as we constitute it and experience it. -like mathematical equations and definitions of terms, they are propositions that are solely based on reason. -like our direct observations of the world, they are propositions that are solely based on sense-experiences. -To be is to be perceived. a philosophical belief which holds that there is no God.
Which of the following philosophical ideas that pertain to Descartes'?
A physical, material, finite realm that includes human bodies and the rest of the physical universe. A spiritual, non-material, immortal realm that includes conscious, thinking beings.
As as Berkeley's philosophy is concerned, which of the following statements are incorrect:
Berkeley agrees with Locke's distinction between the primary and secondary qualities. Berkeley believes that knowledge comes from sense-experiences.
Which of the following statements is true?
For Locke, primary qualities are called as such since these qualities exist in the "object" itself; they are objective: shape, size, motion, etc
Berkeley's epistemology rested upon certainty that _____________
God is creator and sustainer of the world
Which of the following statements are correct:
John Locke is an empiricist. Empiricism believes that knowledge is derived from experience. Rene Descartes is a rationalist.
Berkeley's metaphysics, that the only things that exist are conscious minds and the ideas subjectively present to the conscious minds.
Subjective idealism
he empiricists' epistemological theory that holds that our minds were empty or a clean slate when we were born into this world
Tabula rasa
Rene Descartes Skepticism Cogito ergo sum. Rationalism
The founder of modern philosophy The method used by Descartes in attaining certainty or sureness of knowledge I think therefore I am. Contends that certainty of knowledge can be achieved or attained by the use of reason alone.
Which of the following statements about the indigenous religions are true?
They have group observances, rites and rituals. They have relationships with spirit. They have kinship with all creation. They have spiritual specialists.
David Hume's epistemology was based on the idea that ______________.
everything in the mind is either an impression or an idea.
Rationalism, like the epistemological ideas of Plato and Descartes, is the philosophy that ___________.
everything is known by reason
David Hume truly believes in any metaphysical ideas such as God, soul, universal morals, etc.
false
Descartes believes that our mind is "tabula rasa" at birth and that our ideas or knowledge of things comes from sense-experiences.
false
The key assumption of Anselm's ontological argument for God's existence is that _______
if God exists, he exists necessarily.
Immanuel Kant thought that Hume was wrong to ______________.
neglect the way in which our impressions are organized.
For Soren Kierkegaard, _______________ can never achieve a genuine understanding of God because it treats God as an object to be proved and understood - an impossible task given the limits of our reasoning capacities.
objective knowing
Pascal's "wager" is based mainly on the supposition that ________________
one cannot lose anything of value by wagering on God's existence.
For Soren Kierkegaard, ________________ is the consequence of establishing a relationship with God by means of our leap of faith, a connection founded on passion, not dispassionate rational understanding.
subjective knowing
What did Descartes believe was the fundamental thing that is beyond doubt?
that he exists.
Hinduism Buddhism Taoism or Daoism Judaism Christianity Islam
the Vedas The Four Noble Truths of Suffering Daode Jing (Tao-te-Ching) TaNaKh The Bible (The Old & the New Testaments) Qur'an
According to Kant, what are examples of transcendental ideas that help us to "bridge the gap" between the phenomenal and noumenal realms?
the cosmos the self the god
Descartes' "cogito, ergo sum" means that _____________
there is a thinking self that certainly exists.
Aquinas' argument from gradations of goodness concludes that _____________.
there must be a most perfect being.
John Locke does not agree with Plato and Descartes regarding innate knowledge.
true
Judaism, Islam and Christianity are examples of Abrahamic-monotheistic religions.
true
Which of the following statements are correct?
5X3 = 15 is an example of a priori proposition or relations of ideas. Hume's matters of fact are basically a posteriori. The sun will rise in the east is an example of a posteriori proposition or matters of fact. A priori statements are purely based on reasoning like math. A posteriori statements are based on sense-experiences. Hume's relations of ideas are basically a priori.
Why is St. Anselm's argument for God's existence called an a priori, rationalist or ontological argument for God's existence?
Because Anselm purely uses reasoning or analysis in arguing that God exists.
The following statements are correct EXCEPT:
Kant is an empiricist.
he philosopher-psychologist William James does not agree with W.K. Clifford's demand that religious beliefs require sufficient evidence. James contends that there are those many areas in life that in which we must act in faith to achieve truth. What are these areas?
Morality Creative scientific inquiry Human relationships Religious beliefs
The table's measurement is 12X12." In Locke's epistemology, the underlined word in the above sentence an example of:
primary quality
What was René Descartes' overall philosophical project?
to build knowledge on a foundation he could be absolutely certain of.
Which of the following statements are correct?
Polytheism is the belief in multiple deities. Buddhism is a form of non-theism. Monotheism is the belief in one God. Taoism is a form of polytheism
George Berkeley denied the existence of matter because _______
he thought that there is nothing non-mental.
Which of the following statements are incorrect?
Daoists pray to a Supreme Being and they seek answers to life's problems through the Socratic method. In Judaism, karma refers to one's actions as well as the consequences of one's actions.
Which of the following statements are untrue?
Descartes and Locke are empiricists. Descartes and Locke are rationalists. Descartes and Locke are atheist-philosophers.
What was Kant's relation to the rationalists and empiricists?
He tried to put the two together into a new theory.
"She is beautiful." To Hume, that type of proposition or sentence is an example of:
Matters of fact
A priori Synthetic Phenomenal reality Noumenal reality
That which can be known independently of experience. That it provides us with genuine information regarding our experience of the world. the world as we constitute it and experience it the world beyond our perceptions, reality "in-itself.
Like Plato, Descartes' metaphysics is monism.
false
The Catholic-scholastic philosophers St. Anselm and St. Thomas Aquinas believe that it is illogical to argue about the existence of God. Rather they believe that the belief of God is in the realm of irrationality, a leap of faith.
false
descartes doubts God's existence, and is skeptical of His existence - all throughout his Meditations.
false
Descartes thinks that the existence of physical objects cannot be certain because ____________.
it is possible to be deceived about them.
What does it mean to say that a religion may not be theistic?
it may not posit any gods.
Primary qualities Secondary qualities Tabula rasa" "Cogito ergo sum." Representationalism
properties of objects that reside or come from the object itself such as size, shape and weight. the power or dispositions of objects to produce sensations in our minds such as color, smell, texture and taste. That the mind is a clean slate at birth according to Locke. I think therefore I am. Locke's causal theory of perception which holds that we don't and cannot have any direct knowledge of what is really out-there or of objects externally
All bachelors are unmarried men." "A square has four equal sides." - To Hume, these propositions are examples of:
realtions of ideas
"The computer is black." To John Locke, the underlined word in the above proposition is an example of:
secondary quality
Berkeley believes that a tree still exists in the forest even if no one is there sensing or even thinking about it since God perceives everything which humans cannot.
true
Descartes' reason why he doubted math is because of "the Evil Demon" that tricks us into thinking that mathematical equations are true.
true
For Bishop Berkeley, there is no distinction between the primary and secondary qualities as espoused by Locke. All of which are ideas and are a matter of subjective or personal perception according to Berkeley.
true
For David Hume, we don't have any impressions or direct experiences of a "God," but we can possibly have an idea of Him as a perfect being by combining all of our best and positive experiences and knowledge of any human being, and from which we can come up with an idea of a "perfect being like God." It does not mean however, according to Hume, that since we have an idea of God then He exists. God is still an idea which is unreal because ideas only exist in the mind. It is for that reason that Hume concludes that anything that cannot be empirically justified should be "committed to the flames," including religious beliefs, universal morals, the existence of the soul and of the afterlife. Is it true that you Hume espouses the above philosophical belief?
true
