Philosophy 1301 Midterm

Define validity

An argument is valid when it is impossible for the premises to be true and the conclusion false

What does it mean for an argument to be sound?

An argument is sound if and only if it is valid and it has only true premises

Is the conclusion of a counterexample true or false?

It is false.

Indicate the form of the following argument and construct a counterexample to it:

Some politicians are liars.

No epistemologists are liars.

Therefore, some epistemologists are politicians.

Form:

Some A are B.

No C are B.

Therefore, some C are A.

Counterexample:

Some dogs are collies.

No cats are collies.

Therefore, some cats are dogs.

Fill in the blank. The argument below is __________ .

All swans in France are white.

All swans in Italy are white.

All swans in Germany are white.

Therefore, all swans in Europe are white.

D. inductive

If the premises of a deductive argument are false, then the argument

C. may be valid.

The following argument

God is love.

Love is blind.

Stevie Wonder is blind.

Therefore, Stevie Wonder is God.

commits which fallacy?

B. equivocation

An argument is sound if and only if it is

B. valid and the premises are true.

Give an example of a valid argument with a false premise and true conclusion.

Cows are turtles.

Turtles are livestock.

Therefore, cows are livestock.

Which is a counterexample to the following argument:

Some liars are depressed.

No philosophers are depressed.

Therefore, some philosophers are liars.

A. Some dogs are collies.

No cats are collies.

Therefore, some cats are dogs

Describe the Yacht puzzle, case 3.

the old planks are tossed into the barn and replaced with new planks

Identical twins are

B. qualitatively identical

State the memory criterion of identity.

X at t1 is the same person as Y at t2 if and only if Y remembers the thoughts and experiences of X.

State the brain criterion of identity.

X at t1 is the same person as Y at t2 if and only if Y has the same brain as X.

Who advocates the soul criterion of identity?

A. Plato

According to Locke, 'person' and 'human being' mean the same.

True/False

False

In 'The Meeting' the parents decide to

C. we are not told.

If the brain criterion of identity is true, then Tommy Vladek would be alive after the surgery.

A. true B. false

B. false

What is Locke's criterion of personal identity?

X at t1 is the same person as Y at t2 if and only if Y remembers the thoughts and experiences of X.

What is Locke's criterion of human being identity?

X at t1 is the same human being as Y at t2 if and only if Y has the same body as X.

Explain the Prince and the Cobbler case.

The mind of the cobbler was in the body of the prince and the mind of the prince was in the body of the cobbler. Locke defender of memory, showed body not true.

According to Locke, if reincarnation is possible, then the following case is possible:

B. same soul, two persons

Who is the prince at the later time?

A. the prince-body-person B. the cobbler-body-person

B. the cobbler-body-person

According to Locke, the person before total amnesia takes over and the person after are different persons. True/False

True

Explain Reid's main objection against Locke.

needs a chain-of-memories criterion

Consider Reid's example in which the brave officer remembers stealing fruits as a boy, the general remembers his act of bravery as an officer, but the general does not remember stealing the fruits as a boy. According to Locke's criterion

B. the boy is not identical to the general

State the Chain-Of-Memories criterion of personal identity:

X at t1 is the same person as Y at t2 if and only if there is a chain of memories that link X and Y.

In Perry's dialogue, Miller defends

D. the memory criterion

In Perry's dialogue, it is Weirob who argues that it is possible for someone to imagine awakening with a totally different body.

True / False

False

Cohen argues that remembering and seeming to remember are different because in the former case the memories are caused in the right way.

True / False

True

Identify the premises and the conclusion of the following argument:

"So, your argument just amounts to this. Survival is possible, because imaginable. It is imaginable, because my identity with some Heavenly person is imaginable. To imagine it, we imagine a person in Heaven who, first, seems to remember my thoughts and actions, and second, is me." (p. 57)

P1: We imagine a person in Heaven who, first, seems to remember my thoughts and actions, and second, is me.

P2: It is imaginable because my identity with some Heavenly persons is imaginable.

P3: Survival is imaginable.

C: Therefore, survival is possible.

Weirob's duplication objection is intended to refute

A. the memory criterion of personal identity

What does Weirob mean by the "memory plus lack of competition" criterion?

a unique person who seems to remember my thoughts and experiences and whose memory is caused in the right way by my thoughts and experiences but has no competitors

'x is the father of y' is a transitive relation.

A. true B. false

B. false

aFb bFc but not aFc

Descartes' main purpose in the Meditations is to defend skepticism.

True / False

False

Descartes believes that there are always identifying marks that enable one to distinguish with certainty between dream and reality.

True / False

False

In Meditation 2, Descartes argues that beliefs such as my belief that I exist cannot be doubted.

T/F

True

Which of the following beliefs is about my own states of mind? [select one or more answers]

A. The Moon is made out of green cheese.

B. I believe that the Moon is made out of green cheese.

C. I believe that I believe that the Moon is made out of green cheese.

D. I see a moon made out of green cheese.

E. It seems to me that I see a moon made out of green cheese.

F. I am hungry.

G. Susan believes that the Moon is made out of green cheese.

B, C, E, F

'I know that Trump is the president of the US' is an example of

A. propositional knowledge

What is the purpose of Gettier's counterexample?

not sufficient for knowledge

Are there indubitable beliefs (that is, beliefs that cannot be doubted) according to Descartes? If yes, what kind of beliefs are indubitable?

Yes:

I am thinking.

I exist.

It seems to me that I see a desk.

What is global skepticism?

nothing can be known (theoretical); withhold ALL beliefs and disbeliefs regarding knowledge (Pyrrhonian)

What is the difference between theoretical and practical (or Pyrrhonian) skepticism?

Theoretical skepticism states that knowledge is impossible while practical skepticism is where we should withhold our belief and disbelief regarding knowledge.

What is the objection against theoretical skepticism which is avoided by practical skepticism?

Theoretical skepticism is self-defeating because if knowledge is impossible then how can we know it is impossible. Practical skepticism is not self-defeating.

Descartes believes that knowledge requires certainty. A. true B. false

A. true

Which of the following is Pollok's skeptical scenario?

A. the Dream scenario

B. the Evil Deceiver scenario

C. the Brain-in-a-vat scenario

D.the Matrix scenario

C. the Brain-in-a-vat scenario

Which skeptical arguments does Descartes discuss in the first Meditation? State these arguments.

Senses: All my knowledge is received either from or through the senses. Senses are sometimes misleading. Therefore, I cannot know anything with certainty. Rejects with: Premise 1 is false. Premise 2 is false. The argument in invalid.

Dream: rejects with saying dream hypothesis refutes only empirical beliefs but not conceptual or mathematical beliefs.

Evil Deceiver: In order to know that I am standing, I need to know that I am not being deceived by a demon. I do not know that I am not being deceived by a demon. Therefore, I do not know that I am standing. Therefore, I do not know anything. Rejects with: scenario fails to put into doubt beliefs about one's own current states of mind

Which of the three arguments is, according to Descartes, stronger?

Evil Deceiver

Who wrote the Meditations?

A. Pollock B. Descartes C. Plato

B. Descartes

The view that we should withhold our belief and disbelief regarding knowledge is called

A. theoretical skepticism B. practical skepticism

B. practical skepticism

In chapter 6 'JTB' stands for

A. just, true and beautiful

B. justified true belief

C. Judaism, Taoism and Buddhism.

B. justified true belief

The classical theory of knowledge says that if you have a true belief then you have knowledge.

T / F

False

Suppose that Smith (who teaches CHEM 1120) conducted a survey early in the semester and two students, David and Susan, said that they were Philosophy majors. Smith now has the following belief:

(B) Some of the students enrolled in CHEM 1120 are Philosophy majors.

Suppose also that the belief B is true. What other details about Smith or about the students need to be added in order for B to be true and justified but not a case of knowledge?

Hint: the belief B must be true for the wrong reason.

Ex: the students Smith surveyed were not in CHEM 1120, but other students were who are Philosophy majors.

By definition, an argument is sound if and only if it is

A. circular and its premises are true.

B. valid and its premises are true.

C. valid and its conclusion is true.

B. valid and its premises are true.

The argument '"I'm not denying that women have rights," said the Bullfighters Association president, "but women shouldn't fight bulls because a bullfighter is and should be a man."' commits which fallacy?

A. hasty generalization.

B. equivocation

C. false analogy

D. begging-the-question

D. begging-the-question

A sound argument could have a false conclusion.

A. True B. False

B. False

A valid argument could have a false conclusion.

A. True B. False

A. True

Which of the following holds?

A. The conclusion of a counterexample is true.

B. The conclusion of a counterexample is false.

C. The premises of a counterexample are false.

B. The conclusion of a counterexample is false.

All valid arguments are sound.

A. True B. False

B. False

All sound arguments are valid

A. True B. False

A. True

Which fallacy is committed below?

A. hasty generalization

B. begging-the-question

C. equivocation

D. none above

God is love.

Love is blind.

Stevie Wonder is blind.

Therefore, Stevie Wonder is God.

C. equivocation

If an argument is valid and its conclusion is false, then

A. the premises could be all true.

B. at least one of the premises must be false

B. at least one of the premises must be false

If all we know about a given argument is that it has false premises and a false conclusion, which of the following can be properly said about it?

A. For all we know, it might be valid.

B. For all we know, it might be sound.

C. We know that it must be invalid.

A. For all we know, it might be valid.

My copy of the textbook and your copy are

A. numerically identical

B. qualitatively identical

B. qualitatively identical

Locke defends the criterion of personal identity?

A. memory B. soul C. body

A. memory

Locke defends the criterion of human being identity?

A. memory B. soul C. body

C. body

Which is true about the Yacht Puzzle, case 3:

A. the old planks are burned and replaced with new planks.

B. the old planks are tossed into the barn and replaced with new planks.

C. the yacht owner decides to sell the yacht to a Japanese businessman.

B. the old planks are tossed into the barn and replaced with new planks.

Which of the following is the correct statement of the memory criterion of personal identity?

A. X at t1 is the same person as Y at t2 if and only if X and Y have exactly the same memories.

B. X at t1 is the same person as Y at t2 if and only if Y remembers the thoughts and experiences of X.

C. X at t1 is the same person as Y at t2 if and only if X and Y have the same brain.

B. X at t1 is the same person as Y at t2 if and only if Y remembers the thoughts and experiences of X.

What is the correct statement of Leibniz's Law:

A. If A and B have exactly the same properties, then they are identical.

B. If A and B are identical, then they have exactly the same properties.

B. If A and B are identical, then they have exactly the same properties.

Which is true about the example Reid uses to reject Locke's criterion of personal identity?

A. the general does not remember what the boy did.

B. the general does not remember what the officer did.

C. the general wakes up in a cockroach body.

A. the general does not remember what the boy did.

In The Meeting the parents of Tommy Vladek decide to

A. approve the brain transplant procedure.

B. decline the brain transplant procedure.

C. we are not told.

C. we are not told.

Which of the following is NOT true about John Perry's dialogue?

A. One character is in the hospital dying of massive internal wounds.

B. Miller tries to convince somebody that afterlife is possible.

C. Miller has his brain replaced by surgery.

C. Miller has his brain replaced by surgery.

According to Locke, 'person' and 'human being' mean the same.

A. True B. False

B. False

'I know that all sound arguments are valid' is an example of

A. skill knowledge

B. propositional knowledge

C. knowledge who (knowledge by acquaintance)

B. propositional knowledge

The view that we should withhold our belief and disbelief regarding knowledge is called

A. theoretical skepticism

B. practical skepticism

B. practical skepticism

Which of the following cases is discussed in Pollok's paper?

A. the Dream case

B. the Evil Deceiver case

C. the Brain-in-a-vat case

C. the Brain-in-a-vat case

Which of the following is true?

A. Descartes believes that knowledge does not require certainty.

B. Descartes believes that knowledge is impossible.

C. The infinite regress of reasons is an argument for skepticism.

C. The infinite regress of reasons is an argument for skepticism.

Descartes is a skeptic.

A. True B. False

B. False

In chapter 6, 'JTB' stands for

A. justice, truth and beauty

B. justified true belief

C. Judaism, Taoism and Buddhism

B. justified true belief

Who wrote the Meditations?

A. Pollock

B. Gettier

C. Descartes

D. Plato

C. Descartes

Gettier uses the example of Smith and Jones to show that the three conditions in the JTB definition of knowledge are

A. sufficient for knowledge

B. not sufficient for knowledge

C. necessary for knowledge

B. not sufficient for knowledge

In the reading titles 'A Brain in a Vat' Margot tells the hero:

A. We're not going to remove your brain. We already did-three months ago!

B. We are going to remove your brain just like we did to Harry.

A. We're not going to remove your brain. We already did-three months ago!

The example of Stephen, who believes, based only on the horoscope, that he will have the $100 he needs shows that

A. knowledge requires certainty

B. one can have true and justified beliefs but fail to have knowledge

C. one can have a true belief but fail to have knowledge.

C. one can have a true belief but fail to have knowledge.