PHI 205 Final
According to calculations we discussed in class, what's the probability that you are dreaming right now?
10%
Which area of science, emphasized by the documentary we watched ("Aristotle's Lagoon"), did Aristotle make significant contributions toward?
Biology
The problem with politics today is that many citizens believe their individual vote doesn't matter, so they conclude that they cannot do anything to affect the direction of the nation.
Black or White
Identify the approximate percentage of followers of these religions (according to recent polls).
Buddhism - 7.1%, Judaism - 0.2%, Islam - 23.2%, Unaffiliated - 16.3%, Christianity - 31.5%, Hinduism - 15%, Folk religions - 5.9%
What is the legally and medically accepted definition of the 'death of a person'? (In the United States)
Cessation of all brain function.
In the video on the philosophy of virtual reality (interviewing David Chalmers), virtual reality is compared to the ideas of which philosopher?
Descartes
Which branch of philosophy the following question belongs to: What justifies a human in believing that extraterrestrial beings exist?
Epistemology- theory of knowledge. What can we know, and how do we know it?
What's wrong with the claim that evolution is "only a theory"?
Evolution is a very well-confirmed theory.
Berkeley, in his book On the Principles of Human Knowledge, states that "I do not argue against the existence of any one thing that we can apprehend, either by sense or reflexion. That the things I see with mine eyes and touch with my hands do exist, really exist, I make not the least question. The only thing whose existence we deny, is that which philosophers call matter or corporeal substance." True or False: In the above passage, Berkeley is saying that material objects really exist.
False
The difference between the evidential and logical problems of evil is this: the logical problem can possibly be solved with a theodicy, whereas the evidential problem cannot possibly be solved with a theodicy.
False
True or False: The following argument is valid. If dolphins have souls, then dolphins are persons. But dolphins do not have souls. So, dolphins are not persons.
False
True or False: The following argument is valid. If chimpanzees have higher-order reasoning capacity, then chimpanzees are persons. Chimpanzees do not have higher-order reasoning capacity, therefore chimpanzees are not persons.
False.
According to Aristotle's virtue theory, the highest function of a human being is seeking pleasure.
False. it is to use reason for rational endeavors
Do deductive arguments that are invalid commit formal or informal fallacies?
Formal
Is being 35 years old a necessary or a sufficient condition for being president of the United States? [Note: The U.S. Constitution does in fact state 35 years of age as a condition for the presidency.]
Necessary
Match
No god(s) exist(s) - Atheism, Multiple gods exist - Polytheism, God is the entire universe. - Pantheism, There is insufficient evidence concerning God's existence to draw a conclusion either way - Agnosticism, God is an all-powerful, all-knowing, all-good being. - Classical theism
Which of these views would the Buddha be most likely to accept?
Parfit's bundle theory
Which of the following is not a theodicy
Pascal's wager Theodicies Best possible world. Free will. Punishment. Soul-building.
The point of Locke's Prince and the Cobbler thought experiment is to show that:
Personal identity consists of the continuity of one's consciousness, with memories to link conscious states at different times.
What is the best way to respond to a slippery slope?
Point out a weakness in the chain of hypothetical events leading from the initial action to the unacceptable concluding action.
What are the three "BR" problems?
Problems for Locke's theory of personal identity.
Which of the following concepts constitutes the theoretical foundation of Nozick's entitlement theory?
Self-ownership.
What statement best represents Thomson's view of fetuses in her essay "A Defense of Abortion."
She assumes fetuses are persons but personally believes they are not.
Why is the principle of rectification necessary for Nozick's entitlement theory?
Sometimes the self-ownership of individuals is violated.
Consider this passage from Berkeley: "Suppose, what no one can deny possible, an intelligence, without the help of external bodies, to be affected with the same train of sensations or ideas that you are, imprinted in the same order and with the same vividness in his mind." Berkeley uses this thought experiment to specifically support which of the following claims?
That you don't know whether objects exist external to the mind, since this 'intelligence' has the very same reasons you have for believing that external objects exists. Correct
Why does Kant disagree that consequences determine the rightness of actions?
The agent cannot necessarily control the consequences of his/her actions.
Which of the following arguments both concludes that God exists and is based entirely on rational principles with no reference to empirical experience?
The argument that assumes that God is 'that than which none greater can be conceived'. St. Anselm's argument, which defines God as that which none greater can be conceived, is known as the ontological argument. It is entirely "a priori" -- based solely on rational principles without reference to empirical experience. The design argument (or teleological argument), for example, references empirical experience, namely our experience of order and apparent design in the world.
Philosophy can be plausibly described as:
The attempt to understand reality, knowledge, value, and the like. The "mother ship" of all academic disciplines. The love of wisdom.
Given that we have involuntary ideas, that some objects cause pain or pleasure, and that our senses sometimes confirm each other's reports (e.g., the eyes see an object and the nose smells it too), Locke concludes which of the following?
The best explanation of these phenomena is that they are caused by external objects.
As a problem for the consciousness or memory theory of personal identity, the case of Susie McKinnon (described in the article by Erika Hayasaki) is most similar to which of these problems?
The breakfast
Which of the following best represents Berkeley's theory of existence?
To be is to be perceived.
What is the deductive problem of evil?
The existence of evil in the world is logically incompatible with the existence of God.
Suppose Samantha claims that "capital punishment is morally impermissible." According to the moral theory of Cultural Relativism, what makes Samantha's statement true? (Choose the answer that best characterizes Cultural Relativism.)
The fact that people in Samantha's culture sincerely believe her claim.
According to Gould, why is Darwin's theory more important than Copernicus' theory? (Choose the most accurate answer.)
The former is about what and who we are; it's about human nature.
What image best captures the essence of evolution, according to "Big Thinkers on Evolution"?
The image of earth from space.
Which principle or theory would we have to give up if we argued that both ships (the reconstructed ship, and the renovated ship) are identical to the original Ship of Theseus?
The single location principle.
What is the primary area of concern of Descartes' project in his first meditation?
The theory of knowledge.
Which of the following statements describe claims that Paley does NOT discuss in assessing the watch analogy?
The watch is found to operate via an internal power source. and The watch is found to be qualitatively identical to another watch.
Which of these statements most accurately describes Aristotle's theory of the origin of the world?
The world has all always existed in its present form.
These conditions makes a slippery slope argument more likely to be non-fallacious.
There is great variety in the types of steps to get from the initial action to the disastrous action.
A religion is, roughly, a system of beliefs or practices, typically shared by a community, about the divine (god or gods) and human beings' relation to it.
True
According to Aristotle, a virtue is a psychological disposition involving a mean between two extremes, one of excess and one of deficiency.
True
According to Aristotle, courageousness is (roughly speaking) a psychological disposition to do the action that is a mean between two vices, cowardice and rashness.
True
According to cultural relativism, if a culture accepts the basic theory of Utilitarianism, then right action in that culture consists of maximizing happiness.
True
According to one criticism of Pascal's wager, the "many gods" problem, the wager makes assumptions about how God would treat believers and non-believers.
True
Although psychology is concerned with various aspects of persons, the field has not consistently tried to develop an all-encompassing theory of the person.
True
Aristotle does not think that the soul is a part of a material body that can exist apart from that body in some situations.
True
Berkeley's theory of perception maintains that just as our ideas of secondary qualities do not resemble any qualities of objects themselves, so our ideas of primary qualities do not resemble any qualities of objects themselves.
True
Descartes' theory of mind-body dualism claims that the mind is a thinking, spatially unextended substance.
True
Descartes' theory of the mind maintains that the mind is a thinking, time extended substance.
True
If the conclusion is more specific, the argument is weaker (harder to prove a more specific conclusion), and if the conclusion is more general, the argument is stronger (easier to prove a more general conclusion).
True
If we suppose that the parts of the watch had to have some form, and that the watch was just one possible combination of those parts, Paley argues that, still, the fact that the watch is here and has the particular structure and function it has readily indicates that it was designed, even though it is true that the parts could have been combined differently.
True
In arguing that primary and secondary qualities are different, Locke explains that the former kinds of qualities are "real" or "original".
True
In the Chinese Room, Searle claims that he understands none of the Chinese characters on the batches of paper he receives.
True
Kant's moral theory maintains that humans have moral duties to not lie, not commit suicide, do charitable actions, and seek self-improvement.
True
One of the themes in Thomson's essay on abortion is whether the mother's right to control her own body outweighs the fetus' right to life.
True
Pascal's wager is designed to convince you that you should believe in God, not that God exists.
True
Recall that Paley supposes that, if the watch can replicate, this would surely increase our wonder and admiration for its design. This raises the idea that the present watch was made by a previous watch, and that one by a previous watch, and so on. Paley argues that if the present watch (call it W) was made by a previous watch (call it W2), then although W was not made directly by the watchmaker, we should still infer that a watchmaker was employed in the production at some point.
True
The claims being debated between Locke and Berkeley include which of the following?
Whether the difference between primary and secondary qualities is real or not. and Whether external objects exist.
Suppose Jane argues that because presidential candidate Y has a similar educational background as former president X, Y belongs to the same political party as X, and X was a good president, therefore Y will also be a good president. Which of the following claims would make this argument a stronger analogy?
X and Y both voted against going to war in Iraq in 2003.
Which of these examples best represents the extended mind thesis?
You look up the answer you had recorded in your personal notebook.
Berkeley's reasons for claiming that there is an Author of Nature, who (among other powers) has the power to sustain the existence of involuntary ideas, include which of the following?
Your involuntary ideas are not caused by external, material objects. and Your involuntary ideas must have some cause.
Which of these ideas or projects was Descartes interested in?
a. The foundations of knowledge. b. The passions of the soul. c. The role of thinking in our lives.
What are the branches of philosophy?
Metaphysics, Epistemology, Ethics, Logic
Which of the following best represents Mill's response to the objection that Utilitarianism is "too degrading" to human beings?
Mill makes a distinction involving the qualities of different kinds of pleasures.
What is Bishop Berkeley trying to prove in the passage below?
"We say one book, one page, one line; all these are equally units, though some contain several of the others. And in each instance it is plain, the unit relates to some particular combination of ideas arbitrarily put together by the mind" (G. Berkeley, Of the Principles of Human Knowledge). That number is relative to the perceiver
What is the best way to diagrammatically represent the argument consisting of statements (1) through (3) below? (1) Validity is an important principle of logic that everyone who cares about reasoning should understand, because (2) validity is crucial to forming reasonable arguments, and the reason for that is that (3) validity has to do with the structure of reasons within arguments.
(3) is an independent premise for (2), and (2) is an independent premise for (1), the conclusion.
What kind of argument is one in which the conclusion is guaranteed to be true if the premises are true?
A valid argument
Which of the following statements accurately describes the nature of arguments?
An argument might have conjointly or independently supporting premises.
Match the view of primary & secondary qualities (PQs and SQs) to the philosopher.
Argues that objects have PQs, which are more fundamental than SQs. Locke Argues that there is no real distinction between PQs and SQs. Berkeley Argues that the PQ number is subjective (that is, relative to how one measures something). Berkeley
Match the claim to the philosopher.
Argues that we have probabilistic knowledge of the external world. Locke Argues that neither secondary nor primary qualities of supposedly material objects resemble the ideas we have of secondary and primary qualities. Berkeley Argues that there are only minds and ideas. Berkeley Argues that shape and number are primary qualities, where as color is secondary. Locke Suggests that he might be dreaming. Descartes Argues that knowledge requires certainty. Descartes Argues for a real distinction between primary and secondary qualities. Locke
Match the theory or idea to a thinker
Autonomy Kant Teleology Aristotle Only one kind of pleasure Bentham Intellectual & bodily pleasures are distinct Mill Original position Rawls Virtue Aristotle Entitlement theory Nozick
In political campaigns, politicians are often accused of committing the ad hominem fallacy (fallacy of personal attack), but this accusation is not always warranted. Why is that?
Because the character and personal traits of politicians is relevant to their candidacy.
"I debate with people a lot about politics, sports, and religion. I listen to people's conversations when I'm on the subway or plane. I overhear discussions at work. In all these cases, I detect errors in reasoning. Every person commits logical fallacies." What fallacy is committed above?
Hasty generalization
What reasoning does Berkeley give that external, substantial objects do not exist?
He claims that your idea of an external object must be an idea of an object that is not being perceived by anyone, which is contradictory given that you perceive it when you bring the image to mind.
How does Turing respond to the Theological Objection? (This objection says that humans have souls but machines don't, therefore a machine cannot think.)
He says that God could give a soul to a machine since God is all-powerful.
Conclusion indicators
Hence, therefore, accordingly, as a result
What is the main basis for Princess Elisabeth's objection to Descartes' theory of substance dualism?
How an immaterial substance interacts with a material substance.
Derek Parfit argues that "What matters isn't that there will be someone alive who will be me. It is rather than there will be at least one living person who will be psychologically continuous with me as I am now, and/or who has enough of my brain. When there will be only one such person, he can be described as me. When there will be two such people, we cannot claim that each will be me." Which thought experiment best supports Parfit's reasoning in this passage?
Imagining that your brain is split into two psychologically identical halves which are then placed in two distinct bodies qualitatively identical to the body you have now.
Which of the following statements best describes arguments by analogy?
Inductive and strong or weak
According to Mill's Utilitarian moral theory, which of the following most accurately and precisely characterizes what is intrinsically valuable?
Intellectual Pleasure
According to Berkeley's assessment of the qualities extension and number (qualities which Locke holds to be primary), they are subject to the same sort of variation in perception that secondary qualities are subject to.
Its primary qualities include bulk, extension, and number, and its secondary qualities include color and taste.
Plato's account of knowledge includes what conditions?
Justification, truth, and belief
Suppose the following is true: If a boxing professional, Rocky, is morally responsible for his purchase of performance-enhancing drugs, then he possesses free will regarding his purchase of performance-enhancing drugs. Which of the following theories holds that Rocky does in fact have free will regarding his purchase?
Libertarianism and Compatibilism.
Spinoza argues for pantheism
True
The No Choice Principle is used to argue against Compatibilism (i.e., the claim that free will and determinism can co-exist).
True
The Original Position is a hypothetical scenario designed to determine the correct principles of distributive justice.
True
The entitlement theory has three subsidiary principles, pertaining to just acquisition, just transfer, and rectification
True
True or False: A deductive argument is a kind of argument designed to, or intended to, definitively prove its conclusion.
True
True or False: According to Berkeley's assessment of the qualities extension and number (qualities which Locke holds to be primary), they are subject to the same sort of variation in perception that secondary qualities are subject to.
True
True or False: Einstein was a big proponent of the study of philosophy, and made significant contributions to the philosophy of science
True
True or False: The following argument is valid. If it is possible that I am dreaming, then I do not know that the chair I am sitting on exists in the external world. It is possible that I am dreaming. Therefore, I do not know that the chair I am sitting on exists in the external world.
True
Turing's idea of a Universal Machine is that of a machine that can perform any computable function.
True
Two essential concepts in Descartes' preferred metaphysics include immaterial and material substance.
True
When some people with multiple personality disorder take on one of their sub-personalities, the shape of their eye changes.
True
Which of the following argument forms is valid?
VALID If A then B, A, Therefore B If A then B, Not B, Therefore Not A INVALID If A then B, Not A, Therefore Not B If A then B, B, Therefore A
The overall conclusion of Descartes' dreaming argument is that:
We don't know anything about the external world.
How does Paley respond to the possibility that the watch arose because all its parts exemplify an inherent, natural principle of order, which disposes the parts "into their present form and situation"?
We don't know what a principle of order is other than one assigned by an intelligent designer.
Suppose that a psychopathic murderer comes to the door of Jack's house. The psychopath asks Jack if Sasha is hiding in Jack's house. Suppose Sasha is, in fact, hiding in Jack's house. According to the compatibilist view of free will, Jack's action (whether he tells the truth or lies)
is physically determined by the laws of nature and the facts of the situation, yet Jack is free because his choice makes a difference about what happens.
Identify the claim that most clearly represents a fundamental difference in the theories of Mill and Kant:
whether consequences or intentions are most important in determining right actions.
