Philosophy Final Exam
Abandoning our system of moral responsibility does not necessarily mean that we will end our practices of incarceration (jails/prisons) or "student of the month" awards.
True
According to Wolf, it is possible for someone who is "morally unsavory" to live a meaningful life.
True
Clifford contends that it is appropriate to believe on the basis of testimony if the source has relevant expertise, is of reliable character, and is not biased.
True
On Haslanger's definition of race, "white people" count as a racialized group in our current context
True
What are "Frankfurt cases" and Dennett's example of Martin Luther meant to show?
We can be held morally responsible even when we couldn't have done otherwise.
Nagel says that the "reasons usually offered" in defense of the claim that life is absurd are clearly inadequate. Which of the following is not included as one of the "usual reasons" for thinking that life is absurd?
We normally act from unthinking impulse rather than careful deliberation.
Some philosophers claim that they have immediate and certain knowledge of this thing they call the self that remains the same and identical throughout their lives. What does Hume say in response to this claim?
When he looks within himself, he finds no impression of such a thing.
Dennett argues that we would be better off if we got rid of our "moral conceptual world" and its commitments to free will and moral responsibility.
False
Nagel believes we can escape the absurdity of life by committing ourselves to some larger enterprise, like the glory of God or in service to a political movement.
False
Haslanger believes that adopting her revisionary definitions will not involve any significant changes to how we live our lives or conceive of ourselves.
False.
According to Strawson, what makes it so difficult for us to believe that we are not morally responsible for what we do?
The "experience of freedom" in situations of deliberation and choice.
According to Rawls, in a just society there can exist inequalities in the distribution of primary goods.
True
James believes that committing to the "religious hypothesis" makes us better off than remaining agnostic
True
In the final section of the Apology, Socrates argues for which of the following conclusions?
We should not fear death
According to our ordinary concept of moral responsibility, rewards and punishments are just when they are deserved or fitting. On this ordinary conception, when does an action deserve to be punished or rewarded?
When it is done intentionally or freely chosen
How does Nagel define the absurdity of some situations?
When the situation includes a conspicuous discrepancy between pretension or aspiration and reality.
According to Descartes, what is the essence of the self and the source of personal identity through time?
Your mind or consciousness
Which of the following would the "Veil of Ignorance" prevent you from knowing?
Your race, age, gender, or religious belief
What is the core phenomenon of gender?
A system of social relations where men are dominant, women are subordinate
Which of the following correctly states our categorical moral duty according to Kantian ethics
Always treat other persons as ends-in-themselves, and never as mere means.
According to Hume, what should we expect when all our sensations and perceptions cease upon our death?
Annihilation
According to Glasgow, races do not really exist and are an illusion. Why?
Because they are neither biologically nor socially real
According to Clifford, the shipowner's belief would have been epistemically permissible if the ship had arrived safely at its destination.
False
According to Glasgow, in a world in which everyone looked like the Dalai Lama, different races would still exist.
False
According to O'Neill, we are morally obligated to direct our acts of beneficence to those who suffer most
False
According to Singer, giving aid to those in need should be considered an act of charity and not a moral obligation
False
According to Strawson, it is never possible for us to change who we are, e.g., to successfully engage in efforts at self-improvement.
False
According to our ordinary concept of race, in a world of only babies, races do not exist.
False
Daniel Dennett endorses a view about free will known as "compatibilism". What does compatibilism say?
Free will can exist even in a deterministic world.
Which of the following correctly states the second premise of Singer's argument?
If we can prevent something bad from happening without sacrificing anything of comparable moral significance, then we have a moral obligation to do so.
Which of the following best captures the "difference principle"?
Inequalities in wealth and income are allowed only if they benefit the worst-off.
In coming to terms with the absurdity of life, Nagel recommends which of the following attitudes?
Irony
What does it mean to say that something is "epistemically possible" for Jones?
It is consistent with everything Jones already knows
Which of the following best captures the doctrine of Economic Egalitarianism?
It is morally desirable for everyone to have the same amounts of income and of wealth.
Which of the following provides a correct statement of Clifford's principle?
It is wrong always, everywhere, and for anyone to believe anything on insufficient evidence.
Which of the following definitions captures what Glasgow calls "the ordinary concept of race"?
Relatively large groups of people who are distinguished from other groups of people by having certain visible biological traits to a disproportionate extent.
Which of the following is not included in Haslanger's definition of when S is a "woman"?
S has XX chromosomes
According to O'Neill, in addition to our strict duty of justice, we also have a duty of beneficence. What does the duty of beneficence ask of us?
To help and assist others in achieving their aims and purposes.
What is the aim of Haslanger's analytical project with respect to gender and race?
To provide a (possibly revisionary) of our ordinary concepts of gender and race to fight against injustice
James contends that a choice is a "genuine option" when three conditions are satisfied. Which of the following is not one of the three conditions?
):
Nagel next applies the definition of the absurdity of some situations to life itself. Under what condition does the sense that life as a whole is absurd arise?
):
Which of the following is a main premise in Strawson's Basic Argument?
):
Which of the following provides the most accurate characterization of James's principle?
):
Which of the following would Singer consider a legitimate excuse for not giving to prevent the suffering caused by extreme poverty?
):
According to Glasgow, which of the following would not qualify as a "socially real" kind?
-
According to Dennett, after committing some regrettable act, what do we generally mean when we ask "could I have done otherwise"?
):
According to Hume, what is the self?
A bundle of different perceptions and sensations, in constant change and flux over time
To illustrate the benefits for the community that come from the practice of philosophy, what does Socrates compare himself to?
A gadfly rousing a sluggish horse
According to Rawls, how should we conceive of the "Original Position"?
A hypothetical situation in which participants chose the principles of justice for the basic structure of society.
Taking lessons from cases of meaningless lives, Wolf claims we can see what features a meaningful life must contain. Which of the following best expresses Wolf's positive view?
A meaningful life is one that is actively and at least somewhat successfully engaged in a project of positive value.
Wolf provides examples of what she calls cases of "useless" lives. Which of the following is not included as an example of such useless-ness?
A person whose most significant commitments are to relationships with people important to them, rather than achievements or accomplishments.
What was the official accusation against Socrates?
Corrupting the young and not believing in the gods
Imagine a trolley car case, where you have the ability to intervene to effect the outcome. What does a strict Kantian recommend in such cases?
Do Nothing
Clifford provides an argument to support his epistemic principle. Which of the following best captures why he thinks we should endorse his demanding epistemic standard?
Failing to live up to his standard will lead to a society ruled by superstition, conspiracy thinking, wishful thinking, and motivated reasoning
Given that we have no genuine idea of the self as a simple and identical thing throughout our lives, what motivates so many to think that we do posses such an idea of ourselves?
It's a fiction invented to cope with the fear of change and death
According to James, evidentialists (or "absolutists") such as Clifford are solely focused on "avoiding error". What other equally important epistemic goal do they ignore?
Knowing the important truths
What response from the Oracle at Delphi threw Socrates into confusion?
No one was wiser than Socrates
Which of the following correctly states the first premise of Singer's argument?
Suffering and death produced by extreme poverty is bad
Rawls's difference principle allows for economic inequality only if it improves the economic situation of those who are worst-off in society. Nagel contends that Rawls's difference principle gives priority to those whose needs are most urgent. According to Frankfurt, Nagel's interpretation rests on an assumption. What is that assumption?
That the needs of the worst-off are urgent
Wolf's third criterion concerns cases that fall under the heading of "Bankrupt". What has gone wrong in these cases?
The agent is dedicated to a project that ultimately fails.
According to the Kantian approach to ethics, what should we assess when determining the moral status of an action?
The agent's intentions or purposes behind the action
Wolf wants to give an account of what it is that makes an individual life meaningful. Her method is to first look at ways that individual lives can be devoid of meaning, i.e., meaningless. What label does she provide to indicate an inactive life lived in unengaged passivity, not striving to achieve anything
The blob
Frankfurt argues against the doctrine of economic egalitarianism. What alternative to that doctrine does he offer?
The doctrine of sufficiency
Which of the following is not a key component of Utilitarian Moral Theory?
The moral status of an action is determined by intrinsic features of the act itself.
According to Frankfurt, what does it mean for a person to have enough wealth and income?
The person is (or ought reasonably to be) content with the amount of money they have.
According to James, in situations of insufficient evidence, we lack "intellectual" reasons that compel us to believe one way or the other, but we still may have "pragmatic" reasons to make a choice. What do "pragmatic" reasons concern?
The positive outcomes of adopting a belief
Which of the following skeptical scenarios led Descartes to doubt his beliefs about the world based on sensory experience?
The possibility that he was dreaming
According to Rawls, participants negotiating in the Original Position under the Veil of Ignorance would first agree that each person should have an equal right to the most extensive basic liberty. Which of the following is not included among the basic liberties discussed by Rawls?
The right to keep and bear arms.
Which of the following views does Socrates endorse?
The unexamined life is not worth living.
When it comes to our beliefs that go beyond our current or past experience, our inductive reasoning depends on which of the following assumptions?
The unfortunatity of nature
Hume compares our mind to a theater, where diverse perceptions, feelings, moods, memories, and thoughts glide and pass across the stage. He warns us, however, not to let the analogy with the theater mislead us. How does the mind differ from the theater?
There's no audience in the mind watching the scene
dvocates of economic egalitarianism claim that economic inequality is just intuitively wrong. Frankfurt claims that such intuitions are mistaken. He claims that what people really find objectionable isn't that some people have more or less than others, but instead...
that those with less have too little (i.e., that they don't have enough).
