philosophy midterm

Plato Theory of forms

1. many different things share different qualities

2. These similarities come from perfect forms

3. Physical things change, but forms never change

4. Forms represent true reality

5. Conclusion - true reality consists of perfect, unchanging forms

Descartes Demon argument

1. My senses can deceive me

2. I might be dreaming

3. An evil demon can be conceiving me about everything

4. Even if I am being deceived, I must exist to be deceived

5. Conclusion - I think, therefore I exist

Hume Argument against the self

1. Every true idea comes from an impression

2. If the self exists as a permanent thing, we should experience it

3. We never experience a perfect self

4. We only experience changing thoughts and feelings

5. Conclusion - there is no permanent self, only a bundle of changing perceptions

Laplace Argument on determinism

1. The universe began with the big bang

2. The big bang follows the laws of nature

3. Every event afterwards follows from earlier events and natural laws

4. If we knew all causes and laws, we could predict everything

5. Conclusion - everything that happens is determined by the past and laws of nature

inwagen Argument against free will

1. If determinism is true, our actions are caused by the past and laws of nature

2. We cannot change the past

3. We cannot change the laws of nature

4. We cannot change the consequences of the past and natural laws

5. Conclusion - if determinism is true, we do not have free will

anselm Existence of god

1. I can imagine the greatest conceivable being

2. A being that exists is greater than the one that only exists in the mind

3. Assume the greatest conceivable being does not exist

4. I could imagine a greater being that actually exists

5. This contradicts the idea of the greatest conceivable being

6. Conclusion - god, the greatest conceivable being, must exist

Gettier Argument on knowledge

1. Knowledge is traditionally defined as a justified true belief

2. Someone can believe something that is true

3. They can have a good reason for believing it

4. However, their belief might only be true because of luck

5. Conclusion - JTB is not always enough for knowledge

Sartwell Argument on knowledge

1. Knowledge requires believing something

2. What you believe must be true

3. Having a justification is not necessary for knowledge

4. A true belief can count as knowledge without justification

5. Conclusion - knowledge is simply just a true belief

Chalmers Response to gettier

1. Someone can have a justified true belief

2. Their belief might be correct only because of luck

3. being lucky does not mean someone has knowledge

4. Knowledge needs something more than JTB

5. Conclusion - a lucky true belief is not necessarily knowledge

Mone First cause argument

1. Everything that begins to exist has a cause

2. The physical universe began to exist

3. The universe must have a cause

4. The cause of the physical universe cannot itself be physical

5. Conclusion - the universe has a non physical cause, which the argument identifies as God