Exam 2 PHIL 101
In the Problem of Evil, it is claimed that the existence of an all-good, all-knowing, all-powerful God is inconsistent with the existence of evil. What is meant by "evil"?
All the pain and suffering in the world.
What is the strategy employed in Gaunilo's objection to the Ontological Argument?
By analogous reasoning, Gaunilo demonstrates that the argument's conclusion is false; therefore, either the argument is invalid or a premise is false.
The adjective "a posteriori" means this:
Derived from sense experience
Which of the following statements could be added to this argument to make it a valid argument? P1. I believe God exists. P2. ________________ C. Therefore, God exists.
Everything I believe is true.
Which of the claims in the problem of evil does the Christian Scientist deny?
Evil (pain and suffering) exists.
A logical inconsistency is a particular type of invalid argument.
False
Anselm's Ontological Argument is an a posteriori argument for God's existence.
False
In the design argument, the universe is likened to a Christmas tree.
False
Since no one has proved that God does not exist, it follows that God exists.
False
Since no one has proved that God exists, it follows that God does not exist.
False
Which of the following best summarizes Anselm's Ontological Argument?
God must exist in reality because if he did not exist he would not be the greatest conceivable being and at the same time he is the greatest conceivable being, which is impossible.
Which of the following is an apt evaluation of this argument? "People have experienced miracles; therefore, God exists."
If by 'miracles' one simply means something surprising or improbably, then the argument is weak. On the other hand, if by 'miracles' one means a violation of the laws of nature, then the argument is not cogent since there are no confirmed instances of a violation of the laws of nature.
They key conflict in the Problem of Evil lies here.
In the tension between God's being all-good and all-powerful and yet pain and suffering being rampant
Kant's objection to the ontological argument is that "existence is not a predicate." How does this undermine the reasoning in the Ontological Argument?
It calls into doubt the premise that claims that a God that exists only in the understanding would be greater if he existed in reality.
What sort of problem is the Problem of Evil?
It is a logical problem.
Why is Anselm's way of conceiving of God as the greatest conceivable being important?
Other conceptions of God would not generate the contradiction essential to the reductio ad absurdum.
Which of the following disciplines is concerned with discovering the truth of religious claims, evaluating arguments for the existence of God, examining the relationships between faith and reason and between religion and morality, and addressing the question of how a wholly good God allow the existence of evil?
Philosophy of religion
The adjective "a priori" means this:
Prior to sense experience, based on reason
Why is the Ontological Argument described as being a priori?
Proponents of the argument claim that if one understands the concept of 'God' then one will know on the basis of reason alone that it is true that God exists
The Cosmological Argument appeals to this principle.
The Principle of Sufficient Reason
How is citing human free supposed to avoid the problem of evil?
The evil in the world is the result of human free will.
What can be said of both the Ontological and the Cosmological Arguments?
They are both attempts to prove God exists
Which of the following is an apt evaluation of this argument? "People's religious beliefs vary, that is, not everyone believes in the same God. Therefore, God does not exist."
While the premise is true, the argument is not strong
Which of the following is an appropriate evaluation of this passage?"Of course God exists! That is what I was raised to believe and I have faith that God exists. In my religion one does not question God's existence; one accepts it."
While this may explain why one believes God exists, it does not giving reason for thinking that it is true that God exists.
What is common to all Cosmological Arguments?
an a posteriori claim
Which of the following is not a feature of Aquinas's first three arguments for God's existence?
an a priori claim about the existence of things in the universe
Which of the following, if possible, undermines the reasoning in the Cosmological Argument?
an uncaused being/brute fac
Proponents of the Cosmological Argument would deny that ________________ exist.
brute facts, uncaused things
Which of the following claims would Anselm deny? Select one: a. A thing is a greater thing if it exists in the understanding. b. Even a fool (an atheist) has an idea of God. c. God can be conceived not to exist. d. It is impossible to imagine that God does not exist.
c. God can be conceived not to exist.
Questions about the existence of God are this sort of question.
metaphysical
When faced with a logical inconsistency, which of the following is not one type of strategy for solving the problem?
performing a reductio ad absurdum
If "the the greatest conceivable being (BGC)" refers to an idea in the first premise of the Ontological Argument and to a being in the conclusion, then the argument commits this fallacy.
the fallacy of equivocation
Aquinas's version of the Cosmological Argument characterizes God this way.
the first cause or the unmoved mover
Which of the following is characterized as natural evil?
the pain and suffering that results from a hurricane
Which of the following is characterized as moral evil?
the pain and suffering that results from murder
An attempt to resolve the problem of evil is called this:
theodicy
According to the aforementioned principle (the one employed in teh Cosmological Argument), it is true that
there is an explanation for the existence of everything.
