Phil Exam 2

Metaphysics, as a branch of philosophy, is
A. the theory or study of knowledge
B. the study of good and bad reasoning
C. the study of the ultimate or basic nature of reality
D. another term for theoretical physics

The notion that a corporation is like a living organism that thinks, acts, and directs the activities of its members is an example of
A. dualism
B. monism
C. Metaphysical collectivism
D. pluralism

Pragmatist reject the significance of the debate between metaphysical materialism and idealism because
A. it has no experiential consequences
B. it arises out of misuse of language
C. it is focused on abstractions that have little to do with reality as it is revealed to human consciousness
D. there are many realities

According to some critics of materialism, the fatal flaw of materialism is that reality seems to contain
A. some unpredictable sub-atomic particles
B. only matter in motion
C. onjects that may not be casually related
D. a mental residue beyond physics

One of the earliest materialist views was expressed in the
A. 20th century by Albert Einstein
B. 19th century by J.J. Thompson
C. 17th century by Thomas Hobbes
D. 5th century BCE by Democritus

According to Thomas Hobbes
A. only matter in motion is real
B. only minds and their ideas are real
C. only minds and the bodies they inhabit are real
D. nothing is real

For George Berkeley, to exist- that is, to be - is to
A. endure as a physical object
B. be an event involving physical objects
C. be described by a language
D. be perceived

In the history of philosophy, an outstanding defender of metaphysical idealism was
A. A.J. Ayer
B. George Berkeley
C. Rene Descartes
D. Thomas Hobbes

According to a pragmatist like William James, metaphysical disputes can be resolved by
A. scrupulously analyzing the nature of an idea
B. leaving all such issues to scientific investigation
C. studying closely the sacred literature of many cultures
D. tracing each view's practical consequences to see if they make any real difference

Much of the debate between realists and anti-realists about the nature of reality turn on the claim that
A. reality is external and independent of our consiousness of it
B. language is shared by non-human animals
C. metaphysical pluralism must be true
D. language is only a label for our thoughts

T or F:
As Robert Nozick has said, to say something is real is to say it has "value, meaning, importance, and weight"
True False

T or F:
Idealism is the view that matter is ideally the ultimate constituent of reality
True False

T or F:
According to subjective idealism, the world consists of my own mind and things that are dependent on it
True False

T or F:
In his work on pragmatism, William James agrees that the dispute between materialism and idealism has important practical consequences.
True False

T or F:
Logical positivists like A.J. Ayer view metaphysical statements as meaningless because they are neither tautologies nor statements of fact can be verified by observation.
True False

In the free will debate, liberatarians claim
A. genuine free will is an illusion
B. having a free will is to be without external and/or internal obstacles
C. we are free to choose our actions
D. government should be at an absolute minimum

In the free will debate, compatibilists claim
A. government should be at an absolute minimum
B. having a free will is to be without external and/or internal obstacles
C. we are free to choose our actions
D. genuine free will is an illusion

In the free will debate, determinists claim
A. genuine free will is an illusion
B. having a free will is to be without external and/or internal obstacles
C. we are free to choose our actions
D. government should be at an absolute minimum

The scientific point of view rests upon the assumption that
A. all events and things in nature are caused
B. creatures other than humans have a free will
C. only God has a free will
D. only humans escape the laws of cause and effect

In western civilization, the classic or traditional view of human beings is that they are
A. matter in motion like everything else
B. slaves to their passions
C. creatures living in both the noumenal phenomenal realms
D. reasoning, free moral agents

To hold someone responsible for his or her action seems to require that
A. the person could have chosen another course of action
B. the person's act was simply reflex behavior
C. the person had no idea why he or she did the act
D. all events are casually determined

Existentialists tend to be
A. determinists
B. compatibilists
C. libertarians
D. Freudians

Traditional compatibilists failed to account for
A. cases of external obstacles to freedom or liberty
B. cases of internal obstacles to freedom or liberty
C. the role of science in providing natural explanations
D. the role of value in choice

Determined or Free will?
being a member of a particular race

Determined or Free will?
being a drug addict

Determined or Free will?
being a member of a particular religious group

Determined or Free will?
brushing your teeth in the morning

Determined or Free will?
wanting a particular candy bar, car, piece of clothing

Determined or Free will?
having a particular sexual preferance

T or F:
The determinist view of reality claims that determinism does not rule personal responsibility
True False

T or F:
Sigmund Freud wrote that "the unconscious is the master of every fate and the captain of every soul"
True False

T or F:
The libertarian view of reality holds that human freedom and casual determisim are both true
True False

T or F:
The compatibilist holds that a couple must be compatible if their marriage is to succeed
True False

T or F:
Thomas Hobbes was a libertarian
True False

According to Saint Anselm, God's existence could be proven by starting with the
A. Bible and Scripture
B. miracles of Jesus
C. need for a creator
D. idea of God

According to the ontological proof of God's existence
A. God is the greatest conceivable or the most perfect being
B. evil is necessary for free will
C. God is the unmoved mover
D. God is the uncaused cause

The principle of universal explanation states that
A. every positive fact of reality has an explanation
B. God is the uncaused cause
C. acceptable explanations are always scientific testable
D. some explanations are universally accepted

For Saint Thomas Aquinas, God was
A. an enigma wrapped in a mystery
B. an object of mystical intuition
C. an uncaused cause
D. a something; I know not what

To prove God's role as a designer of the universe, William Paley draws an analogy to finding a
A. Bible
B. butterfly
C. moths adapting to changing environments
D. watch

According to someone like Sigmund Freud, God is
A. a creation of man to soothe his fear
B. the greatest conceivable being
C. the uncaused cause
D. the unmoved mover

As discussed in this episode, the reality of the big bang theory as an account of the origin of the universe
A. proves God does not exist
B. proves God must exist
C. neither supports nor undermines the possibility of God's existence
D. proves God once existed but not now exist

Darwin's theory of evolution raised problems for the traditional argument from design since
A. design and order could be accounted for naturalistically
B. evil in the design raises questions about God's goodness
C. with so much intricate design and order there must be more than one God
D. according to Darwin there is no design or order

The problem of evil initially claims that if God all good, all knowing, all powerful, and there is in fact evil, then
A. God cannot be all of those things or God doesn't exist
B. God has abandoned Earth
C. mysticism is the only solution
D. polytheism is true

T or F:
Monotheism is the belief that there is only one God
True False

T or F:
The ontological argument is an argument for the existence of God deduced from the nature of God's being.
True False

T or F:
One version of the arguement from design argues that "it is necessary to admit that there is a first efficient cause"
True False

T or F:
Spinoza supported pantheism, the belief that everything is God and God is everything
True False

T or F:
The agnostic holdexistence of evil t the s thaproves conclusively that there is no God.
True False

Religious experiences are
A. always mystical experiences
B. always visions of saints and angels
C. not of one kind but varied
D. not had by children

The content or interpretation of mystical experience is said to be
A. universal and constant
B. only of God
C. only of Vishnu
D. culturally relative

According to Rudolf Otto, the essential element in religious experience is an awareness of another as holy and divine, and this awareness is characterized by
A. awe and dread
B. joy and fun
C. pleasure and playfulness
D. fear and giddiness

A universal feature of all mstical experiences is
A. unity or union
B. insight into the basic structure of the universe
C. a profound separation from that which is not human
D. a terror as one approaches the existential abyss

Mystical experiences are found in
A. only Eastern religious traditions
B. Eastern and some native American Indian religious traditions
C. Eastern and Middle Eastern (Islamic) religious traditions
D. all of the world's major religions

According to the extrovertive mystical experience
A. one enters into "the deepest and darkest part of oneself, detaching oneself from one's ordinary state of consciousness"
B. the world around one is transfigured and transformed, giving one the experience of all distinctions and categories of individuals
C. the world around one is transfigured and transformed, giving one the experience of all distinctions becoming one
D. one enters into "the deepest and darkest part of oneself, attaching oneself to one's ordinary state of consciousness"

A central philosophical question regarding mystical experience is
A. whether or not such experiences eer really happen
B. whether or not drugs can induce mystical states
C. whether or not the mustical state is a powerful but essentially personal, subjective experience
D. why do more women than men have mystical experiences

The ethical test of mystical experience concerns the power of such experiences to
A. make criminals turn themselves in
B. Demonstrate to those who have nto had such an experience just how good the experience is
C. allow the individual to gaze directly upon God's goodness
D. profoundly change one to be better

According to the principle of credulity
A. the younger a person is the more credulous that person's belief will be
B. experiences ought never to be taken at their face value
C. experiences ought to be taken at their face value even in the face of some positive reason for challenge
D. experiences ought to be taken at their face value in the absence of some positive reason for challenge

For William James, a person should choose a belief when there is insuficient evidence for belief, if the options presented are
A. forced, living, and monumental
B. isolated, clear, and popular
C. very appealing, comfortable, and fun
D. profound, theoretical , and abstract

The syndrome of hyper-religiosity is associated with
A. anemics
B. diabetics
C. epileptics
D. sinusitis

T or F:
William James in "The Will to Believe" wrote: "Do no decide, but leave the question open,' is itself a decision"
True False

T or F:
A numinous experience is often characterized by feelings of terror, mystery, and bliss.
True False

T or F:
According to Kierkegaard, God is not subject to rational, objective analysis
True False

T or F:
Paul Tillich claimed that "depth is what the word God means, the source of your being, of your ultimate concern, of what you take seriously without any reservation"
True False

T or F:
According to feminist theologian Mary Daly, the male conception of God has ahd a profoundly oppressive impact on women.
True False