philosophy mid term

Which is the best example of a particular?

A white sheet of paper

What kind of thing does Descartes say (he can be certain that) he is?

A "thing that thinks" / "thinking thing."

What was Kant's primary innovation, according to Russell?

A priori knowledge that is synthetic

Which of the following is the best example of a universal?

A spatial relation

In the Third Meditation, Descartes argues that God could not be a deceiver, because...

All fraud and deception depend on some defect (and God has no defects)

Which British philosopher does Russell believe to mistaken in his view of idealism?

Bishop Berkeley

In Meditation 4, Descartes puts our levels of knowledge or certainty about the following things into what order? (Put MOST CERTAIN on the BOTTOM, and LEAST CERTAIN at the TOP.)

Croporeal things the human mind god

Which of these were rationalists?

Descartes and Leibniz

In the first Meditation, why does Descartes begin thinking about reasons his beliefs could be mistaken?

He was struck by the large number of falsehoods he had accepted as true in his childhood.

In Meditation 4, Descartes says "my own nature is very weak and limited, whereas the nature of God is immense, incomprehensible and infinite... [God] is capable of countless things whose causes are beyond my knowledge." What all follows from this, according to Descartes?

If we want to know whether God's works are perfect, we have to look at the whole universe, not just one part of it. It is totally useless to search for "final causes" [= purposes] in physics. The fact that I sometimes make errors, and so must have an imperfect nature, is not reason to doubt that God, who created me, is perfect.

Russell believes in a(n) _______ reality.

Independent

From what logical process do we gain knowledge of generalizations by way of instances?

Induction

What concept does Russell use to begin his discussion of a priori knowledge?

Innate principles

According to Russell, what is one of the two ways that we can have knowledge of things?

Knowledge by description

What is the empiricist view of knowledge?

Knowledge comes from experience

Who are the empiricists that Russell is interested in?

Locke, Berkeley, and Hume

Russell says his views about universals mostly follow which of these?

Plato's Theory of Ideas

What method of inquiry, taken from Descartes, does Russell mention in the beginning of Chapter 2 of The Problems of Philosophy?

Systematic Doubt

According to Russell, the "man who has no tincture of philosophy"...

Takes the world to be definite, finite, and obvious Contemptuously rejects unfamiliar possibilities Goes through life imprisoned by local prejudices

In the first Meditation, what does Descartes discuss as reasons he could be deceived or mistaken in his beliefs?

The fact that the senses occasionally deceive us with respect to objects which are very small or in the distance The possibility that he is dreaming The logical possibility that a "malicious demon" has employed all his energies in order to deceive him

In the Second Meditation, what does Descartes say is one proposition he can be certain of?

The proposition, "I exist."

In Meditation 5, Descartes claims that the certainty and truth of all knowledge depends uniquely on our awareness of:

The true God

The main point of the Third Meditation, or in other words, what Descartes is trying to do in it, is:

To prove the existence of God

Which of these is one reason Bertrand Russell thinks there is a distinction between the way his table appears and the way that (common sense would say) the table really is?

What method of inquiry, taken from Descartes, does Russell mention in the beginning of Chapter 2 of The Problems of Philosophy?The table appears to have a different shape when viewed from different angles. But (common sense says that) the table really has only a single shape, no matter what. b. The table appears to have a different distribution of colors when viewed from different angles (because the pattern of light that is reflected changes from different angles). But (common sense says that) the table really has only a single pattern of colors. c. The table appears to have a smooth, even texture when viewed with the naked eye, but a rough, uneven texture when viewed through a microscope. But (common sense says that) the table really has only a single texture, whether it's being viewed through a microscope or with the naked eye. d. All of the above are reasons Bertrand Russell thinks there is a distinction between the way his table appears and the way that (common sense would say) the table really is.

In Meditation 6, Descartes claims that it is impossible to understand something, unless one can also imagine that thing. (Examples include a triangle and a chiliagon -- a 1,000-sided figure).

false

True or False: Russell agrees with the common idea that everything we believe ought to be capable of proof, or at least of being shown to be highly probable.

false

From what logical process do we gain knowledge of universals by way of particulars?

induction

Which of the following would NOT be a self-evident type of judgment, according to Russell?

judgments about sense-data b. judgments about memories c. judgments about simple truths of arithmetic d. all of these are intuitive or self-evident, according to Russell

Russell makes a distinction between (A) those things that are "immediately known" in sensation (e.g., colors, sounds, smells, hardnesses, roughnesses, and so on) versus (B) "real things" (e.g., tables -- assuming such things exist). What pair of terms does he use to mark this distinction?

sense-data vs physical objects

In Meditation 5, Descartes claims that the idea of God is:

the idea of a supremely perfect being an idea he "finds within himself" just like the ideas of shapes and numbers has the idea of existence belonging to it, just as clearly and distinctly as various properties belong to the ideas of certain shapes and numbers when he is reasoning about mathematics.

In Meditation 6, Descartes says that if things can be clearly and distinctly understoodwithout reference to one another, then it is really possible for them to exist separately.

true

True or False: Russell believes that we have some knowledge "by acquaintance" of universals.

true