Module Quiz 1

Socrates is on trial for

Being impious and corrupting the youth

A highly general belief

Concerns a large class of things.

The chief value of philosophy, according to Russell, comes from

Contemplation of great things free from personal prejudices.

According to Socrates, he has a

Divine sign that speaks to him.

A philosophical question is usually quite vague.

False

According to Russell, many of those who doubt philosophy are blind to the importance of things good for the body.

False

An analytical definition may be arbitrary.

False

Circular reasoning is called ad hominem.

False

Fallacious reasoning is often very convincing.

False

It is always a fallacy to appeal to famous people in support of one's conclusion.

False

It is always good to define one's words before using them to persuade someone else about something.

False

It's easy to tell whether someone has made an honest mistake in an argument or is trying to mislead or trick you.

False

Most people find it simple to stick to the main point in a debate.

False

One's ordinary beliefs are philosophical beliefs.

False

Socrates claims to be an oracle.

False

Which of the following is not a benefit of studying philosophy?

Fame

Socrates suggests that he be sentenced to

Free Meals for life

The study of philosophy

Increases the range of things one considers possible.

The fallacy of complex question

Is a particular version of the fallacy of petitio principii.

Socrates claims that for the jury to sentence him to death is to harm its members more than him because?

It is unjust

The study of philosophy is beneficial because

It may help you act better.

According to Socrates, the man of self-respect considers

Justice

Which of these is NOT a type of crooked argument?

Losing your temper in a discussion.

Socrates examines this person during his defense.

Meletus

What is the fallacy Stebbing describes as "appealing to selected instances"?

Mentioning just the examples that support your side of the argument.

The value of philosophy lies in goods of the

Mind

According to Socrates, the Delphic oracle declared that

No one is wiser than Socrates.

To examine a belief is to

Question whether it is based on good reasons.

Stebbing defines "twisted thinking" as

Reasoning Mistakenly

Russell contrasts philosophy with

Science

Imagine you are disagreeing with a fellow student about a candidate for political office. After arguing for a while, the student says to you, "What do you know? You didn't even vote in the last election." What would be the best response?

That is a personal attack. It doesn't mean my political views are wrong.

Imagine that a transfer student from Paris says, "The food is better back home." A local student says to her, "If everything about France is so much better, why don't you go back there?" How might you best respond to the local?

That's not what she said. She didn't say everything was better, only the food.

Stebbing quotes Lord Halifax as saying, "I do not suppose myself that people who trade in armaments are very much better or very much worse than any other ordinary business men." What criticism does she make of this statement?

The character of the armaments traders is irrelevant to the point.

Which of the following is a general rule for determining the generality and fundamentality of a belief?

There are no such rules

A professional philosopher...

Tries to answer broad, fundamental questions.

A metaphor can provide a revelatory definition.

True

A philosophical question is usually quite general.

True

A reasonable belief is justified by reasons.

True

Ambiguous words are at the heart of verbal disputes.

True

Answering an irrelevant question can be a way to divert an opponent from the question they actually asked.

True

One way people divert their opponents from the main point is to say something unpleasant and personal about them, rather than responding to their arguments.

True

Philosophy is related to many other fields of study.

True

Russell claims that philosophy is good for those who study it.

True

Russell claims that there is value in uncertainty.

True

Socrates admits that he is not wise.

True

Socrates claims to be on a divine mission.

True

Socrates obeys the commands of a divine voice in his head.

True

Socrates thinks that he should be given free meals for the rest of his life.

True

How can you tell the difference between twisted thinking and a crooked argument?

You can't always tell, but you need to refute the argument either way.