Intro to Philosophy weekly quizzes (after midterm)

Descartes reaches the conclusion that the one thing that he can be sure of is that he is a thinking being that exists. The latin translation that he used to summarize this conclusion was:

"Cogito Ergo Sum"

Jeremy Bentham's version of Utilitarianism may best be summarized by which of the following statements?

"Everyone should perform that act which will bring about the greatest amount of good over bad for everyone affected by that act."

In the Ted video by Dr. Lera Boriditsky, the aboriginal tribe describes "time" in a

East to West sequence.

Atheism includes which of the following claims or beliefs (select all that apply):

Empirical evidence, such as provided by the scientific method, is the best approach to gain reliable knowledge. The knowable world is comprised of energy and matter. We should focus our attention on moral and social concerns in order to improve the world.

The philosophical study of moral standards and rules is ...

Ethics

The Theist responds to the Problem of Evil by arguing that:

Evil is necessary to justify the existence of "free will"

A posteriori knowledge is the type of knowledge that can be justified independently of sense experience, using only empirical data.

False

According to Thomas Kuhn, the scientific community and scientific knowledge are immune to social pressures to conform to established or generally-accepted scientific theories and principles.

False

Bacon believed that scientists should stop trying to understand nature, and look for ways to use their minds to benefit themselves.

False

Locke argues that our experience is either made up of the physical sensations or the ideas of those things, there cannot be an external world that causes those sensations.

False

Nonconsequentialist ethical theories argue that the morality of an action should be judged based on the results of the action taken.

False

Normative Ethics is descriptive in nature -- it strives to construct a consistent system of moral norms valid for groups or individuals.

False

Rene Descartes used a specific way of trying to determine a solid foundation for knowledge. What is this process called?

Methodological Skepticism

The Free Will defense against the Problem of Evil might explain human choice between moral options, but it does not justify the existence of _____ ____.

Natural Evils

Charles Darwin's theory of evolution provides a mechanism that can explain the appearance of "design" in nature. This mechanism is the process of ________ ________.

Natural selection

According to Aristotle, we learn what virtuous behavior is by:

Observing the actions of others in the community.

The second version of Kant's Categorical Imperative may be summarized as:

One ought always to act so that they always treat people as ends in themselves, and never merely use them as means to an end.

The first version of Kant's Categorical Imperative may be summarized as:

One ought never to act except in such a way that you can will that your maxim should become a universal law.

The Realist View of scientific "truth" argues that scientific claims must be based on some direct correspondence with an objectively observable external reality.

True

The Coherence Theory of Truth argues that ...

a belief is true when it fits with our other beliefs and meanings.

The Transcendental Unity of Apperception, is Kant's explanation for

actively takes the total of our perceptions at any given moment and transforms it into comprehensible information.

Karl Popper argued that

all scientific claims should be put to a test by attempting to disprove the original claim by finding an instance of data that proves it false.

For the proponent of the Coherence Theory of Truth, it might be possible that

an incorrect belief, like that the Earth is flat, could be acceptable as "true" within a specific set of beliefs.

The Conceptual Relativist believes that knowledge is relative, and in fact, theories of science are

based on verifiable facts about the external world.

John Stuart Mill is the 19th century philosopher that argued that science should be concerned with ...

building "canons" that are based on larger groups of observations, and drawn from looking at similarities in repeated observations to more general laws or principles.

Paul Tillich, the 20th Century theologian, argues that atheists have a subject of least concern that is a central focus of their lives.

false

Descriptive Ethics is

focused on the scientific or empirical description of what constitutes moral behavior.

According to William Whewell, the hypothetical method in science is most successful when...

greatest scientific advances occur when scientists make a creative guess or hypothesis

Berkeley's "Idealism" can best be summarized as the idea that "the whole of our perception, and the world that we perceive, is composed of_____."

ideas

Science differs significantly from pseudoscience in that science ...

is based on sense observation and rationality. is falsifiable, at least in principle. embodies theories that are accurate, consistent with other accepted theories, broad, simple, and fruitful

The Problem of Inductive Reasoning is that ... (mark each correct answer)

it involves making generalizations about a whole populations based on a limited sample of experience. it may lead to drawing multiple conclusions from the results of a scientific experiment. it involves drawing a connection between cause and effect that may not always be true.

According to Mary Daly, all of the major world religions commit the error of

legitimizing patriarchy.

Immanuel Kant offers a Theory of Knowledge that ...

makes use of a posteriori data derived from our sense experience. depends upon a priori ideas and mental resources.

Berkeley's quote, "If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?" is meant to support his argument that

nothing exists outside of our perception of it.

The Pragmatic Theory of Truth argues that

our beliefs are true when they work, i.e., when they get us what we want.

Kant's theory of transcendental idealism hold that

our mind arranges the sensations from our senses into orderly structures or patterns. the world around us appears to be a series of mental constructs. the mind arranges everything that we perceive according to its own rational rules or laws.

Kuhn claims that scientists get indoctrinated into the research traditions of the scientific community that includes a way of thinking and doing research that he calls ___________.

paradigms

Freud made the claim that religious belief is rooted in the infantile need to believe that a _______ ________ ________ is watching over us to assuage our fear of the unknown.

powerful father figure

Rationalism is the view that _______ is the primary source of our knowledge of the world or reality.

reason

Empiricism is the theory of knowledge that claims that our primary source of knowledge is by means of our _____ __________.

sense experience

According to Paul Tillich, God is the ...

source of our Ultimate Concern.

Kant believed that ...

synthetic a priori statements tell us something about the world, but are justified through reason alone. that we would be unable to comprehend our sense experience (the raw sensations) without the mind imposing some sort of structure and meaningfulness onto the raw stream of sense experience. that the mind is actively engaged at all times, processing the information that we receive via our senses. that our mind structures our constantly changing sensations by organizing them into objects that we experience as located in space and time.

Hedonism is the egoistic view that

that out primary interest should be to act so as to achieve pleasure and avoid pain.

A significant difference between the claims of the atheist versus those of the agnostic is that...

the atheist believes that there is a meaningful evidence against the existence of God.

At the heart of the Buddha's philosophy is the notion that suffering is caused by ignorance (avidya) about the ultimate nature of reality.

true

The form of argument is called "Denying the Consequent", as shown below. If p, then q. Not-p Therefore, Not-q. This form of argument is ...

valid

Immanuel Kant's justification for religious belief is based upon the claim that

we are motivated to bring about good in the world, and moral good is only possible if a Supreme Being exists.

According to a Rule Utilitarian, everyone should try to establish and follow rules that

will bring about the greatest good for all who might be impacted by the rule.

According to David Hume, all of our perceptions can be broken down into two categories: impressions and ideas.

True

According to John Locke, the mind is a kind of tabula rasa or blank slate, which the senses furnish with ideas.

True

At the heart of the Buddha's philosophy is the notion that suffering is caused by ignorance (avidya) about the ultimate nature of reality.

True

Bertrand Russell would argue that a belief is true if it corresponds with a fact.

True

Consequentialism defines the morality of an action by whether its consequences result in more good than bad results.

True

Natural Law Ethics attempts to provide empirical, verifiable proof of universal, absolute laws of moral behavior for all human beings.

True

Instrumentalist theory is the idea that scientific theories or propositions may be considered "true" if they can be used to predict future outcomes and results.

True

David Hume's objection to Paley's version of the Design Argument can best be summarized as:

Both a and b.

Solipsism is the philosophical view that and that

Both a and b.

Within the religion of Hinduism, the ________ is the source of all things in the universe; it pervades all things, sustains all things, and is beyond all things.

Brahman

David Hume's "Logical Problem of Evil" is an example of which form of valid conditional argument? If a benevolent, omniscient, and omnipotent God exists, then there could be no evil in our world. But there is evil in our world. Therefore, a benevolent, omniscient, and omnipotent God does not exist.

Denying the Consequent

One problem with the Correspondence Theory of Truth could be

All of the above

According to Rudolf Otto, a numinous experience is one in which:

All of the above.

St. Thomas Aquinas argues that our morality

All of the above.

The conclusion you might draw from the "workers on the train tracks" example discussed in class, is that Utilitarianism ...

All of the above.

The Problem of Evil is an argument that questions the existence of what?

An all good, all knowing, all powerful God

All Divine Command Theories of Ethics share a common logical problem -- this problem is called the ...

Appeal to Authority.

According to Kant, the __________ __ _______________ are innate synthetic capabilities of the mind that organizes our raw perception into categories that enable us to understand basic mental concepts.

Categories of Understanding

Kant argues that our morally Good Will enables us to

Choose what we will do based on Reason.

William Dembski argues that arrangements of genes in living organisms exhibit ____ and _____ that suggest directedness to a specific goal, and proof of intelligent design.

Complexity; specificity

The virtue of "courage" is the moderation between a deficiency of ________, and an excess of _________.

Cowardliness; recklessness

Sir Francis Bacon believed that there should be a consistent methodology in the way that scientists conduct their investigations to ensure that their efforts would produce consistent and reliable results.

True

According to Spinoza, what is a problem with the "Free Will Defense" against the Problem of Evil?

Free Will is an illusion.

Divine Command theorists argue that moral laws, including all documented moral scriptures and teachings, are universal, absolute, and established by _____.

God

In the Design Argument, Paley argues that the complexities of the ______ ____ force the conclusion that it must have been created by an Intelligent Creator.

Human Eye

How might you use a Utilitarian point of view to justify taking action against climate change? (assume that there is sufficient proof that climate change is real and threatens near-term consequences for inhabitants of Planet Earth).

If I had s Utilitarian point of view I would be more cautious of what I used in order to not pollute the earth.

Soren Kierkegaard argues that belief in God requires a personal commitment that exceeds rational justification; he calls this a

Leap of Faith

Skepticism is the view that no real knowledge is possible, because it is impossible for us to provide sufficient justification for our beliefs.

True

Examples of nonconsequentialist theories include all of the following except:

Rule Utilitarianism

According to the Buddhist, the natural state of human beings is one of ...

Suffering

Kant's theory of knowledge is put forward in his major work entitled ...

The Critique of Pure Reason

Ethical Egoists may have a variety of different positions based on their perspective. Which of the following is NOT an ethical egoist position?

The Individual Ethical Egoist believes that everyone should act in his/her own self-interest.

According to the Buddhist, the only way to escape our natural state of suffering is to folllow:

The Noble Eightfold Path

Kant argues that space and time are not mere concepts of an external quality or dimension of things, but in fact are structures or functions in the mind that it uses to organize the sensations that we perceive.

True

Immanuel Kant proposes a nonconsequentialist ethical theory based on

The autonomy of Human Will.

In the Ted Video by Lera Boriditisky, what is she suggesting with the statement that "language guides our reasoning".

The language we use pre-sets the way in which we perceive real events in the world.

Kant argues that we have good reason to believe that the synthetic a priori causal laws of science must be universally true of all of the world we experience.

True

In his work, "The Will to Believe", William James argues that we have a "Living", "forced", and "momentous" choice to make, and that is:

To protect ourselves from missing out an ultimate truth by choosing to believe in God.

A priori knowledge is the type of knowledge that can be justified prior to, before, or independently of any sense experience.

True

According to Aristotle, the way to live a life of virtue is to:

Use reason to act with moderation.

Ethical theories of Virtue argue that our actions should be based on:

Virtues that will make us good people.

In the Design Argument, William Paley uses an analogy to describe the origins of the world, comparing God to a divine ___________.

Watchmaker

Agnosticism is the position that

We do not have sufficient knowledge or understanding to decide whether or not God exists.

Ethical Relativism might best be summarized by which of the following statements?

What is "wrong" in one culture, might be "right" in another culture; but they are both "correct".

Anne Conway devoted her life to theology and explaining the limitlessness of God, for which she received the Nobel Prize in 1677.

false

Hume's skepticism is based on his claim that, since all of our ideas are based on impressions, we can have real, verifiable knowledge of the world.

false

The Correspondence Theory of Truth may best be summarized as...

the idea that a belief is true when it corresponds with what is "out there" in the real world.

Proponents of the "Fine Tuning Argument", defend the Argument from Design by claiming that ...

the physical laws of the universe are so "finely tuned" to support life, they had to have been deliberately selected by an Intelligent Creator.

Inductive Generalization is assuming that what is true of some part of a population is true of ___ ________ _____________.

the whole population

The 17th century philosopher, Anne Conway, developed unique and non-traditional ideas about God and the universe that differed significantly from then mainstream theology and philosophy, including the idea that

there are an infinite number of worlds in the universe, along with an infinite number of living, thinking, and feeling creatures.

The "God Move", refers to George Berkeley's attempt to

to avoid solipsism by assuming that everything exists because it is in God's Mind.

George Berkeley is famously known for the expression "esse est percipi", meaning "____________________".

to be is to be perceived