Philosophy Exam

What is the largest problem that a dualist view of human nature faces, or the most difficult question it must answer? What makes it so difficult?

-How can an immaterial mind move a physical body, and how can a body that consists of a heavy, dense, spatial matter affect an immaterial mind? -If it did so, then the mind would somehow have to introduce new energy and force into the physical world. -Scientists tell us that this is impossible because it would violate the principle of the conservation of matter and energy.

What are three key ideas that Darwin posed that threatened the Traditional view of human nature?

1. The idea that animals and plants are sometimes born with features that are different from their parents but that they can pass on to their own offspring. 2. The second key idea Darwin advanced is that because living creatures produce more offspring than can survive, they are continuously caught in a great struggle for existence. 3.The third key idea was "natural selection or survival of the fittest." Darwin pointed out that some variations give a creature an advantage over other members of its species in this great struggle for existence and thereby give it a better chance of surviving, having offspring, and passing the variation onto its descendants.

How does a person's view of human nature influence her relationships with other people, the universe, and society?

A person's view of human nature will affect how one thinks which will subsequently affect their behavior and interactions with society. Referring back to the theory of psychological egoism, if one believes that those around them act solely out of selfishness, they may have trust issues; this could include them mistaking simple acts of kindness as actions in which the person expects something in return. This differs from someone who thinks opposite of psychological egoism; they would most likely accept kind gestures without questioning the person's intentions.

Explain William James's pragmatist approach to reality and what sub-universes are.

According to William James, we determine whether an object is real by its relation to our emotional and active life. Because it is possible that different systems of ideas or objects might excite our interest, he argued, people can recognize a number of different sub-universes or real worlds. He believes that each of us selects the world or worlds that are most personally meaningful to us. This includes the world of sense, the world of science, the world of ideal relations, the world of "idols of the tribe", the supernatural worlds, the world of various opinions, and the world of pure madness.

Explain at least one objections philosophers have had to idealism.

All the minds and ideas we know about seem to require the wet hardware of the of the living brain, for once the brain dies then the mind and its ideas seem to vanish.

Define antirealism.

Antirealism claims that the world or worlds we inhabit and everything in them depend completely or partially on how they are described, perceived, and thought about.

What are two implications that Darwin's view has for the traditional view? What problems does it create?

Darwin believed that all human ability, including reason, are merely more developed variations of the same kinds of abilities that nonhuman animals have. Second, and even more important, the Traditional view holds that like all living things, human beings are obviously designed and so must have a purpose.

Explain how the Functionalist view of human nature tries to overcome the mind-body problem.

For the Functionalist, the mind is nothing more than a complex set of functions within the body and its brain. That is, the mind consists of all those complex connections that the body makes when it receives sensory inputs to a group of behavioral outputs in exactly the same way, then those two objects can be said to have exactly the same mental states. Sameness of function implies sameness of mind.

Explain how Eliminative Materialism tries to overcome the mind-body problem.

For the eliminative materialist, desires, beliefs, and intentions, are like demons. Folk theories about demon possession were once used to explain mental illnesses. But modern science has found other explanations for mental illness. Today's science-based theories of mental illness have eliminated the notion of demons, and most people today no longer believe that demons exist.

Define human nature.

Human nature is the most basic concept of philosophy. Defined as "what a human being is", this concept affects how one sees themself, how they see others, and how they live. Though it's not necessarily true, many philosophers believe that it is in our nature to be motivated by self interest.

Explain what Idealism is and what it says about the nature of reality.

Idealism is the belief that reality, essentially composed of minds and their ideas other than matter. Berkeley, the founder of Idealism, includes variations both subjective and objective in his theory. He claims that things are ultimately mental or mind dependent and that we learn about the world through perceptions conveyed through our senses. The things around us, Berkeley believes , are mental states that have no existence outside the mind.

Explain one reason someone may criticize an attempt to solve the problem of personal identity by appealing to the body.

If bodily continuity makes us the same person from one day to the next, then we could never become new persons during our lives. We would have to say that people with total amnesia or Alzheimer's disease are "really" still the same persons they always were. We would have to say that the woman who wants to abandon her marriage and family commitments because she feels she is no longer the same person is also mistaken: The woman is "really" still the same person she always was.

Explain how one may attempt to solve the problem of personal identity by appealing to the body.

It is true that the body changes dramatically as we grow older. Cells in different parts of the body die and new ones are born. Yet the body never changes completely from one day to the next. Perhaps what makes us the same person today that we were ten years ago, then, is this bodily continuity between each succeeding period of our life: I am the person I was when I was born because during each day of my life, most of my body continues the same as it was the previous day, and most of it continues the same into the next succeeding day.

Explain why logical positivists sat that metaphysical claims about reality are meaningless.

Like pragmatism, logical positivism us a reaction to the disputes between idealists and materialists. Pragmatism reacts by objecting that these disputes are pointless because they do not focus on "fruits, consequences, and facts." Logical positivists react by objecting that idealists and materialists never stop to look carefully at the meaning of the language they use.

Explain what materialism is and what is says about the nature of reality.

Materialism is the view that matter is the ultimate constituent of reality. It does not include anything beyond what is physical, and in fact, some views such as the Charvaka's reject religion as well as inductive and deductive reasoning.

Explain what materialism is and what it says about the nature of reality.

Materialism is the view that matter is the ultimate constituent of reality.. It does not include anything beyond what is physical and in fact, some views such as the Charvaka's reject religion as well as inductive and deductive reasoning.

Why is consciousness potentially problematic for materialism?

Materialism rejects the non-physical world which subsequently would reject human consciousness. People believe that consciousness in generated by the human should or non material mind. his cannot be seen, felt, or touched, but it is real and contradicts with the Materialists' views.

Why are our assumptions about what is real important?

Metaphysical questions about what reality is are among the most significant questions we can ask because they are intimately linked to questions about what what is important to us, what we need to pay attention to, what has significance, and what matters. Our beliefs of reality will profoundly affect what we do with our lives,m what we strive for, what we ridicule, dismiss, and what we're willing to live for.

Define psychological egoism.

Psychological egoism is a theory argued by Thomas Hobbes that human beings are made to act solely out of self interest.

Define realism.

Realism is the view that a real world exists independent of our language, our thoughts, our perceptions, and our beliefs; that is, independent of the mind.

Explain the problem of personal identity.

The "problem of personal identity" questions whether or not we're the same person we were when we were born. Philosophers suggest that is our body that makes us the same person. Though your body changes as you age, it still functions the same.

Explain one reason someone may criticize an attempt to solve the problem of personal identity by appealing to memory.

The British philosopher Thomas Reid suggested that Locke's view produces contradictions. What about the fact that I cannot remember everything that I have ever did? Does that mean some other person did those things in my memory?

Explain why some feminists have objected to Spender's version of antirealism.

The anti-realist claims that the worlds created by different languages and ways of thinking are equally real and valid and that there is no reality apart from our language and thought.

Define "self".

The definition of "self" stems from the topic of life after death. The first fundamental assumption states that all humans have a self. the go that exists in a physical body that is conscious and rational. The self can think, reason, perceive, and can have a purpose. The self, according to the second statement. Is that the self is different from, but related to the body. The body is a physical or material entity whereas the self is a spiritual entity. The self endures through time but can continue to be the same after death. Lastly the self is independent of the individual.

Explain Dale Spender's feminist approach to antirealism.

The importance of the antirealist view for feminists such as Dale Spender us that it explains why the world that women ordinarily are forced to accept is so sexist. Dale Spender suggests that we must recognize that there are different female worlds or realities that are just as real as the male world that women are usually forced to inhabit.

Explain how the Behaviorist view of human nature tries to overcome the mind-body problem.

The problem then, is that behaviorism, in reducing the mind to behaviors, leaves out anything about the mind that is not an outer behavior. In doing this it seems to leave out the interior conscious states that characterize the mind and that are the actual cause of behavior.

Describe the Greek rationalistic version of the traditional western view of human nature.

The traditional theory of human nature views the human primarily as self capable of reasoning. Plato, a greek philosopher, states that reason, appetite (or desire), and aggression are the three defining parts of human nature.

Describe the duelist (mid-body duelist) view of human nature.

The traditional view of human nature, according to Descartes, explains that the human is composed of two kinds of things: a material body and an immaterial mind or "soul".This is called Dualism because it claims that humans are made of two substances.

Explain how one may attempt to solve the problem of personal identity by appealing to memory

We would have to say that people with total amnesia or Alzheimer's disease are "really" still the same persons they always were. We would have to say that the woman who wants to abandon her marriage and family commitments because she feels she is no longer the same person is also mistaken: The woman is "really" still the same person she always was.