Descartes & Responses to Skepticism

René Descartes, "Meditations on First Philosophy" What kind of knowledge does the possibility that he is dreaming raise doubts about, for Descartes? a) Knowledge gained from or through the senses b) Knowledge about universals c) Mathematical knowledge d) All of the above

a) Knowledge gained from or through the senses

Keith DeRose and Ted A. Warfield, "Responding to Skepticism" DeRose and Warfield believe that skeptical arguments are powerful. a) True b) False

a) True

Keith DeRose and Ted A. Warfield, "Responding to Skepticism" Skeptics often claim that we don't know that a certain skeptical hypothesis is false. a) True b) False

a) True

René Descartes, "Meditations on First Philosophy" Descartes is looking for an indubitable foundation for all of his knowledge. a) True b) False

a) True

René Descartes, "Meditations on First Philosophy" For Descartes, God must exist. a) True b) False

a) True

René Descartes, "Meditations on First Philosophy" For Descartes, what is more perfect . . . a) cannot come from what is less perfect. b) can come from what is less perfect. c) can only be known by something equally perfect. d) can't be known by something less perfect.

a) cannot come from what is less perfect.

Keith DeRose and Ted A. Warfield, "Responding to Skepticism" According to the "Aw, Come On!" response, skeptical arguments are a) farfetched, ridiculously weak, and unthreatening. b) logically invalid. c) not really arguments at all but mere assertions. d) sound.

a) farfetched, ridiculously weak, and unthreatening.

René Descartes, "Meditations on First Philosophy" Descartes holds that our minds are to a sailor as our bodies are to a ship. a) True b) False

b) False

René Descartes, "Meditations on First Philosophy" When wax melts, according to Descartes, it ceases to remain the same thing—its identity changes. a) True b) False

b) False

René Descartes, "Meditations on First Philosophy" Descartes finds reason to doubt everything because . . . a) It is possible that he is dreaming. b) It is possible that there is an evil demon deceiving him about everything. c) Sometimes his senses are mistaken. d) He has limited mental capacities.

b) It is possible that there is an evil demon deceiving him about everything.

Keith DeRose and Ted A. Warfield, "Responding to Skepticism" According to DeRose and Warfield, the skeptic and Moore agree over a) premise 1 of the skeptic's argument. b) premise 2 of the skeptic's argument. c) the conclusion of the skeptic's argument. d) the invalidity of the skeptic's argument.

b) premise 2 of the skeptic's argument.

Keith DeRose and Ted A. Warfield, "Responding to Skepticism" Barry Stroud believes that skeptical arguments a) are utterly unconvincing. b) raise a problem about the human condition. c) establish their conclusion, being valid arguments with true premises. d) are interesting, but should not be taken seriously.

b) raise a problem about the human condition.

René Descartes, "Meditations on First Philosophy" According to Descartes, which of the following best describes the soul? a) A body b) Spiritual essence c) A thinking thing d) None of the above

c) A thinking thing

René Descartes, "Meditations on First Philosophy" For Descartes, how are physical objects, like wax, grasped? a) Through the senses b) They are given to us through God's will c) Through the understanding d) None of the above

c) Through the understanding

Keith DeRose and Ted A. Warfield, "Responding to Skepticism" According to DeRose and Warfield, skeptical hypotheses are meant to explain a) how an evil demon could be deceiving you right now. b) how to know that something is true with absolute certainty. c) how we might be wrong about what we think we know. d) how knowledge is possible for finite creatures like us.

c) how we might be wrong about what we think we know.

Keith DeRose and Ted A. Warfield, "Responding to Skepticism" According to DeRose and Warfield, Moore's response is unsatisfactory because a) it fails to prove that we do know what we ordinarily take ourselves to know. b) it doesn't provide evidence for the existence of the external world. c) it fails to explain why the skeptic's premises seem so plausible. d) it doesn't prove that the skeptic's conclusion is false.

c) it fails to explain why the skeptic's premises seem so plausible.

Keith DeRose and Ted A. Warfield, "Responding to Skepticism" According to DeRose and Warfield, skeptical arguments are powerful because a) they invoke the imagination. b) there is strong evidence for skeptical hypotheses. c) they are valid and each premise has support. d) they make us question our own existence.

c) they are valid and each premise has support.

René Descartes, "Meditations on First Philosophy" Which of the following best describes why Descartes concludes he must exist? a) Descartes doesn't think he must exist b) God exists c) He has a body d) He thinks

d) He thinks

Keith DeRose and Ted A. Warfield, "Responding to Skepticism" Which of the following is not an example of a skeptical hypothesis? a) That the earth came into existence five minutes ago but with evidence of old age. b) That you are dreaming right now rather than awake. c) That you are a brain-in-a-vat being fed sensory experiences by a supercomputer. d) That your memory is sometimes faulty with regard to events that happened long ago.

d) That your memory is sometimes faulty with regard to events that happened long ago.

Keith DeRose and Ted A. Warfield, "Responding to Skepticism" Skeptical arguments are meant to show that a) everything we think we know is false. b) certain skeptical hypotheses are probable. c) our beliefs about the external world are unreliable. d) we don't know what we ordinarily take ourselves to know.

d) we don't know what we ordinarily take ourselves to know.