PHIL 2010 - Intro to Philosophy

According to Anselm, when the fool says that God does not exist, the fool truly understands what he is saying.

False

According to Aristotle, the two parts of the human soul are the rational and non-rational.

False

Anselm believed that God was so far beyond human reason that it was impossible for the human mind to conceive of him.

False

Anselm does not believe that God's existence is so certain that only a fool would doubt or deny it.

False

Gaunilo rejects Anselm's argument because he (Gaunilo) is an atheist.

False

The principle of utility claims that happiness is best understood as contentment.

False

According to Anselm, there are two ways to understand a thing.

True

According to Aristotle, like humans, animals can be happy.

True

According to Aristotle, some vices are not cases of excessive or deficient forms of action.

True

According to Aristotle, the form of life that is primarily concerned with politics is not the most proper because it is dependent upon the respect of others.

True

According to Aristotle, the most proper form of activity for human beings is the one that is most self-sufficient.

True

According to Kant, all imperatives command either hypothetically or categorically.

True

Anselm assumes existence is a property that makes a being more perfect.

True

In the utilitarian calculus, one's own happiness does not count any more than any other's happiness.

True

Some actions do not have a virtuous mean.

True

Virtue, as the intermediate point between two extremes, registers as a different measure for different individuals.

True

According to Kant, the only end that is an end in itself is a) A rational being. b) A useful thing.

a) A rational being.

For Richard Taylor, some of the libertarian solution to indeterminism is in agency, which means: a) Agents make and act upon decisions without prior constraints. b) Agents need permission to act. c) Agents are covert actors in human decision making. d) Agents make bad decisions, but never in philosophy.

a) Agents make and act upon decisions without prior constraints.

According to compatibilism, three of the claims below are true. Which one is not? a) All events and choices we make are up to chance, like the behavior of sub-atomic particles. b) A person is morally responsible for an action only if he does it freely. c) A person performs an action freely only if he has or had alternatives to the action. d) That someone is morally responsible for some action is consistent with the thesis of determinism.

a) All events and choices we make are up to chance, like the behavior of sub-atomic particles.

"Man's life is a line that Nature commands" is a statement from: a) Baron d'Holbach b) Joseph Keim Campbell c) Richard Taylor d) William James

a) Baron d'Holbach

According to Aristotle, the life of contemplation is best for all of the following reasons except: a) It is the most useful. b) It is the most continuous. c) It is the most self-sufficient.

a) It is the most useful.

According to Mill's version of Utilitarianism, which of the following would be considered a "higher" pleasure (for an adult)? a) Learning a foreign language. b) Getting a massage. c) Playing tic-tac-toe. d) Eating a favorite food.

a) Learning a foreign language.

Baron d'Holbach believed that every bit of human intellectual life was the product of: a) Material forces b) Intellectual forces c) Spiritual forces d) Immaterial forces

a) Material forces

Socrates is at court in Athens because a) Meletus has charged him with corrupting the youth. b) Euthyphro has charged him with murder. c) Socrates is charging Meletus with worshipping false gods. d) Euthyphro is charging Socrates with worshiping false gods.

a) Meletus has charged him with corrupting the youth.

According to Aristotle, how one is raised is of great importance because a) Morality is a matter of habit. b) You need to be rich to be good. c) You need leisure to contemplate. d) Morality is a matter of genetics.

a) Morality is a matter of habit.

According to Kant, "autonomy" refers to a) Our ability to make and obey laws for ourselves. b) Our ability to desire things.

a) Our ability to make and obey laws for ourselves.

A hard determinist believes that... a) Our actions are completely determined and therefore we have no free will b) We have free will even though our actions are completely determined. c) We have free will and therefore our actions are not completely determined. d) The problem of free will is difficult, and it can never be known whether we have free will.

a) Our actions are completely determined and therefore we have no free will

Rachels claims that the Eskimos' different attitudes toward infanticide are based on: a) different circumstances than ours. b) different values than ours. c) both a and b. d) neither a nor b.

a) different circumstances than ours.

William James would be called a: a) indeterminist b) free will advocate c) hard determinist d) compatibilist

a) indeterminist

Some would argue that advertising: a) may erode our free will by encouraging us to make choices that are against our own best interests b) has no causal relationship to our decision making at all c) gives us a beneficial way to discover what is in our best interests d) accentuates and enhances our ability to choose freely

a) may erode our free will by encouraging us to make choices that are against our own best interests

An example of coercion is... a) one person robbing another person at gunpoint. b) soft determinism. c) kleptomania. d) a person who is locked in a room but who does not know that she is locked in.

a) one person robbing another person at gunpoint.

Philosophers who argue that some of our actions are free, and some may not be free for various reasons, are usually called: a) soft determinists or compatibilists b) indeterminists c) libertarians d) behaviorists

a) soft determinists or compatibilists

Baron d'Holbach says that the soul is nothing more than: a) the body considered relative to some of its functions b) the ego considered relative to some of its functions c) the mind considered relative to some of its functions d) the will considered relative to some of its functions

a) the body considered relative to some of its functions

One of the major problems in the debate over free will is whether or not: a) the laws of nature are deterministic, and thus our actions are determined b) other people's psychological states can determine our actions c) moral laws are deterministic and we must follow them d) subatomic particles are determining our choices without us being aware of them

a) the laws of nature are deterministic, and thus our actions are determined

Benedict defines "normality" as a) the socially elaborated segment of human behavior in any culture. b) the activities sanctioned by familial arrangements. c) the norms implicitly adopted within a societal structure. d) none of the above.

a) the socially elaborated segment of human behavior in any culture.

According to Benedict, the best cases for illustrating the range of cultural diversity are a) those where an abnormality of one culture is the foundation of another. b) found when two cultures collide, as in war. c) found by looking at a single culture across time. d) those where one group within a culture disagrees with another.

a) those where an abnormality of one culture is the foundation of another.

When Baron d'Holbach looked as humans and nature he came to believe that: a) Humans are free. b) Humans are not free because of nature's immutable laws. c) Humans are souls trapped in bodies. d) Humans are partially free, so d'Holbach is a compatibilist.

b) Humans are not free because of nature's immutable laws.

Mill presents a number of possible objections to Utilitarianism. All of the following are objections he mentions except: a) It disregards the issue of good character. b) It desensitizes people and makes them cold and unsympathetic. c) The standard it sets is too high for humanity. d) It makes the concept of justice meaningless.

b) It desensitizes people and makes them cold and unsympathetic.

Baron d'Holbach can best be described as a: a) Compatibilist b) Naturalist c) Conceptualist d) Coherentist

b) Naturalist

Consider the following premises and determine the conclusion: If our actions are free, then we must be able to act differently from the way we do act. Our beliefs and desires cause our behaviors. If our beliefs and desires cause our behaviors, then we cannot act differently from the ways we do act. If our actions are free, then we can act differently from the ways we do act. a) Our actions are completely determined. b) Our actions are not free. c) Our behaviors are caused by our beliefs and desires. d) Our behaviors are different in different situations. e) Our actions are free.

b) Our actions are not free.

Richard Taylor sees soft determinism, taught widely as truth, as a non-solution that: a) Solves everything. b) Simply camouflages the problem. c) Opens the door to determinism. d) Closes the door to determinism.

b) Simply camouflages the problem.

Which one of the following is a compatibilist position? a) Hard Determinism b) Soft Determinism c) Libertarianism d) Incompatibilism

b) Soft Determinism

According to Kant, a hypothetical imperative has at its end a goal that is a) An end in itself. b) Subjective.

b) Subjective.

Virtue comes from a) God b) Teaching and Habituation c) Chance d) None of the above

b) Teaching and Habituation

An action's moral worth is derived from all but which of the following? a) The action being motivated from a good will b) The effect that is expected from the action c) The action in and of itself d) The action being done from duty alone

b) The effect that is expected from the action

According to Kant, human beings are ends-in-themselves because a) They have interests. b) They are autonomous. c) They have instincts. d) They have desires.

b) They are autonomous.

Benedict claims that morality is a) a branch of psychology. b) a convenient term for socially approved habits. c) a useful fiction. d) a term that should be banished from textbooks.

b) a convenient term for socially approved habits.

According to Benedict, a people's ethics depends upon a) universal truths. b) a selection among the possible behavior traits. c) expressions of their attitudes. d) their religion.

b) a selection among the possible behavior traits.

Rachels argues that differences in custom: a) are always based on differences in values. b) are sometimes, but not always, based on differences in values. c) are never based on differences in values. d) are always illusory.

b) are sometimes, but not always, based on differences in values.

According to Benedict, individuals whose characteristics are not congenial to the selected type of human behavior in a community are considered a) renegades. b) deviants. c) trend-setters. d) evil.

b) deviants.

Joseph Keim Campbell says that strong compatibilists believe all of the below statements except: a) free will requires alternatives b) free will is a result of neural processes in the brain c) moral responsibility is compatible with determinism d) free will is essential to moral responsibility

b) free will is a result of neural processes in the brain

Soft determinists or compatibilists will often make a distinction between: a) ontological and metaphysical causes of actions b) internal and external causes of actions c) religious and secular causes of actions d) psychological and moral causes of actions

b) internal and external causes of actions

Traditional compatibilism, according to Joseph Keim Campbell, holds that: a) people perform free acts if they act from duty b) people perform free acts if they are the source of their acts c) people perform free acts if they prefer those acts d) people perform free acts if they benefit from their acts

b) people perform free acts if they are the source of their acts

Socrates and Euthyphro discuss the definition of a) philosophy b) piety c) god d) science

b) piety

According to James, indeterminism means that we have no reasonable grounds for: a) credit for our actions b) regrets c) happiness d) assumptions

b) regrets

Socrates suggests that the best way to know piety is to concern ourselves with a) the essence of justice. b) the essence of holiness. c) the essence of horses. d) the ancestor Daedalus.

b) the essence of holiness.

According to cultural relativism, a) some moral codes are better than others. b) there is no independent standard against which to judge the moral code of a society. c) it is objectively morally right to be tolerant of the moral views of other societies. d) we have moral obligations only to members of our own culture.

b) there is no independent standard against which to judge the moral code of a society.

Mill argues that "being desired" makes a thing "desirable." As part of his argument he draws an analogy between "desirable" and a) "Edible." b) "Good." c) "Visible." d) "Wanted."

c) "Visible."

What is the fundamental principle of morality, according to Kant? a) Never lie. b) Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. c) Act only on maxims that are universalizable. d) Always maximize happiness.

c) Act only on maxims that are universalizable.

According to Aristotle, which of the following vices is not a matter of excess or deficiency? a) Stinginess. b) Boastfulness. c) Adultery. d) Cowardice.

c) Adultery.

Determinism is the thesis that... a) We have free will. b) All our behavior is motivated by subconscious desires. c) Given a complete account of how things are at one time, there is only one possible way they can be at a later time. d) We have no free will.

c) Given a complete account of how things are at one time, there is only one possible way they can be at a later time.

According to Aristotle, the rational part of our soul has all the following characteristics except: a) It is the supreme element within us. b) It is the divine element within us. c) It has the greatest external needs.

c) It has the greatest external needs.

According to Kant, making false promises is wrong for all of the following reasons except a) It is a self-contradictory maxim. b) It cannot be willed as a universal maxim. c) It violates divine law. d) It ignores the autonomy of others.

c) It violates divine law.

According to Aristotle, discovering the mean between two vices is a matter of a) Doing as we are told. b) Arithmetic. c) Judgement within a specific situation for a specific person. d) Following instincts.

c) Judgement within a specific situation for a specific person.

According to Kant, a characteristic essential to the concept "law" is a) Subjectivity. b) Choice. c) Necessity.

c) Necessity.

Baron d'Holbach taught that: a) Humans are free agents b) Humans have free will c) No one has free will d) Humans have some free will

c) No one has free will

Richard Taylor sees freedom in soft determinism as meaning: a) One is never truly free. b) One is always fully free. c) One is free unless constrained. d) One is occasionally the victim of freedom.

c) One is free unless constrained.

According to Kant, to be able to act in accordance with rules a being must possess a) A will. b) Religious faith. c) Reason.

c) Reason.

Which of the following best represents John Stuart Mill's view of pleasure? a) All pleasure is equally valuable. b) Pleasure is one of many things that are intrinsically valuable. c) Some pleasures are "higher" than others and thus more valuable. d) Both a. and b.

c) Some pleasures are "higher" than others and thus more valuable.

Baron d'Holbach believed that man is derived from matter, therefore: a) Souls are really immaterial "stuff." b) Immaterial stuff of which souls are made does not exist. c) Souls if they exist are really derived from matter, like music from a plucked string. d) There is no such thing as a soul.

c) Souls if they exist are really derived from matter, like music from a plucked string.

Baron d'Holbach does not believe that humans are free agents (i.e., have free will) because: a) They lost their free will when they went to school. b) Lost their free agency when they had to obey their boss. c) Would have to be stronger than Nature. d) Would have to be immaterial beings to be free.

c) Would have to be stronger than Nature.

Baron d'Holbach's view is that the will is: a) a modification of the mental faculties b) a modification of the intuitions c) a modification of the physical brain d) a modification of the physical senses

c) a modification of the physical brain

Libertarianism is: a) committed to the laws of physics b) committed to the idea that determinism is true c) committed to the idea that determinism is false d) committed to the use of reason

c) committed to the idea that determinism is false

Which of the following positions on the free will debate is the least consistent with the idea that we are morally responsible for our actions? a) coherentism b) soft determinism c) hard determinism d) compatibilism

c) hard determinism

If I have a genetic predisposition to have cancer, and then I am diagnosed with cancer, a determinist could argue that: a) it happened because I was not optimistic enough; my internal state of optimism could have prevented it from happening. b) it happened because I saw a commercial about cancer treatment on television. c) it was a matter of physical structures of the body and their condition; it was not my choice but was rather a causal chain of events that was not under my control. d) it was my choice and it was a matter of my own free will to get cancer.

c) it was a matter of physical structures of the body and their condition; it was not my choice but was rather a causal chain of events that was not under my control.

One of the reasons that libertarians find the idea that we have free will to be convincing is that we often feel: a) like we have no choice b) like we have too many choices c) like we are blameworthy for our actions d) like we deserve credit for our hard work

c) like we are blameworthy for our actions

For Richard Taylor soft determinism makes three claims, one of which is: a) Despite the appearance of freedom, all is secretly determined. b) Free choices are an illusion. c) voluntary behavior is nonetheless free to the extent that it is not externally constrained or impeded; d) voluntary behavior is rarely free, and never unconstrained.

c) voluntary behavior is nonetheless free to the extent that it is not externally constrained or impeded;

According to d'Holbach, we would be free if: a) we could act in accordance with the will of God b) we could act in accordance with our preferences c) we could act against the obligations of nature d) we could act against the will of God

c) we could act against the obligations of nature

In this discussion with Euthyphro, Socrates compliments him on his a) good taste b) attention c) wisdom d) poetry

c) wisdom

Richard Taylor's idea of causation is such that it seems to be interfering with freedom so instead of saying that agents are the causes of their own acts it would be better to say: a) Agents are victims of forces beyond their control. b) Agency has never been carefully defined. c) Agents that do harm are not to be trusted. d) Agents originate, initiate, or perform acts.

d) Agents originate, initiate, or perform acts.

According to compatibilism, three of the claims below are true. Which one is not? a) That someone is morally responsible for some action is consistent with the thesis of determinism. b) A person performs an action freely only if he has or had alternatives to the action. c) A person is morally responsible for an action only if he does it freely. d) All events and choices we make are up to chance, like the behavior of sub-atomic particles.

d) All events and choices we make are up to chance, like the behavior of sub-atomic particles.

What does Gaunilo replace "a being than which nothing greater can be conceived" with to show that Anselm's argument is invalid? a) A world than which nothing greater can be conceived b) A human being than which nothing greater can be conceived c) An ocean than which nothing greater can be conceived d) An island than which nothing greater can be conceived

d) An island than which nothing greater can be conceived

Determinism is the doctrine that: a) There are two types of probability. b) Some events occur purely by chance. c) Human beings have no free will. d) Given the total cause of any event the event could not have failed to occur (i.e., it had to occur). e) Free will is compatible with the existence of God.

d) Given the total cause of any event the event could not have failed to occur (i.e., it had to occur).

The chief good for human beings is: a) Honor b) Pleasure c) Reason d) Happiness

d) Happiness

According to Mill, in order to judge which of two pleasures possesses the greatest value, you must a) Have experience of only the better. b) Estimate their relative worth by reference to other, similar pleasures. c) Have experience of only the lesser. d) Have experience of both.

d) Have experience of both.

According to Mill, in order to judge which of two pleasures possesses the greatest value, you must a) Have experience of only the lesser. b) Estimate their relative worth by reference to other, similar pleasures. c) Have experience of only the better. d) Have experience of both.

d) Have experience of both.

According to Aristotle, the difference between humans and other living things is a) The fact that we have goals. b) The fact that we do not have instincts. c) The fact that we alone have a purpose. d) How we go about pursuing our goals.

d) How we go about pursuing our goals.

The philosophical problem of free will, as described in the course content and videos, is that... a) All human beings have a right to bodily autonomy, but many are forced into lives of slavery and servitude. b) A killer whale saves the life of a foster child. c) If human beings have freedom, they are likely to misuse it. d) Human experience would suggest that we all have free will, yet there are compelling arguments that we do not.

d) Human experience would suggest that we all have free will, yet there are compelling arguments that we do not.

John Stuart Mill argues that "happiness" is what we ought to aim for because a) It is compatible with God's commands. b) It is an easier goal to achieve than other goals. c) It's the one goal we have the best chance of achieving. d) It is what everyone, in fact, aims for.

d) It is what everyone, in fact, aims for.

When did Kant believe that it is permissible to lie? a) Whenever doing so brings about more good than harm. b) Whenever doing so is necessary to avoid a catastrophe. c) Whenever the subject matter is insignificant. d) Never.

d) Never.

Gaunilo's point concerning the island is... a) Nothing can be perfect in an imperfect world. b) If one has not experienced an island, it is impossible to conceive of a perfect island. c) If God is perfect, then it is possible for God to create the perfect island. d) The ontological argument could be used to prove the necessary existence of a perfect island.

d) The ontological argument could be used to prove the necessary existence of a perfect island.

A soft determinist response to the religious argument for predestination makes an analogy between our life choices and: a) a map b) a Veggie Tales book c) a recipe d) a Choose Your Own Adventure book

d) a Choose Your Own Adventure book

According to Kant, which of the following is an unqualified good? a) wealth b) happiness c) intelligence d) a good will

d) a good will

Scientism is: a) committed to indeterminism b) opposed to the idea that science is a reliable form of knowledge c) closely tied to monotheism d) committed to physicalism

d) committed to physicalism

One who believes that choices and decisions in life are determined by nature, biology or genetics would be called a: a) soft determinist b) indeterminist c) compatibilist d) hard determinist

d) hard determinist

According to Rachels, the prohibition on murder: a) is peculiar to Western societies. b) is a product of cultural norms. c) is a product of religious views. d) is a necessary feature of all societies.

d) is a necessary feature of all societies.

In libertarian views that believe in free will, it is not argued that: a) in cases when I deliberate, it can be up to me what I do b) my behavior is sometimes the outcome of my deliberation c) I can deliberate only about my own future actions d) my biology and genetics are unavoidably determining my choices

d) my biology and genetics are unavoidably determining my choices

Joseph Keim Campbell believes that he has given reason to believe all of the following except: a) on at least some occasions there are truthful utterances of ability sentences b) praiseworthiness depends on whether or not determinism is true or false c) often the truthfulness of those utterances is essential to the moral praiseworthiness or blameworthiness of an individual's action d) praiseworthiness is independent of the truth or falsity of determinism

d) praiseworthiness is independent of the truth or falsity of determinism

Euthyphro gives a variety of possible definitions of piety, including all of the following EXCEPT: a) what he is doing now at court b) what helps the gods c) what is dear to the gods d) what is useful to the courts

d) what is useful to the courts

A key issue in determining if a person's acts are free is: a) whether or not the person desired another action b) whether or not the person was influenced by others c) whether or not the person obeyed internal drives d) whether or not the person could have done otherwise

d) whether or not the person could have done otherwise