Philosophy Unit 1 Test

What is the definition of philosophy?

Philosophy is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language.

Fields of Philosophy - Philosophical Reasoning and Logic

Concerned with analyzing and exercising communication and structural decisions in arguments.

Fields of Philosophy - Metaphysics

Concerned with the idea of existence and the meaning of life itself.

Fields of Philosophy -

Concerned with knowledge at its finest and how we obtain it. Is it based on our environment or is it innate?

Fields of Philosophy - Ethics

Concerned with the idea of right and wrong, good and bad, and/or morals.

Fields of Philosophy - Philosophy of Science

Concerned with the study of science and the use of science methodology to prove a statement or hypothesis.

Fields of Philosophy - Social and Political Thought

Concerned with governmental intervention, the justice system, and how one should regulate themselves.

Fields of Philosophy - Aesthetics

Concerned about the creation and concept of art and beauty and the purpose it serves to society as a whole.

Demonstration - Card Trick

Things are easier to accept when it is understood how they happen. Someone once said: “\[They\], who has a why to live for, can bear with almost any how.”

Demonstration - Questions About an Object

Humans are curious, assumptions affect how something (problem) is understood. Quality of question affects the quality of answer (the better the question the more reliable the conclusion). Must be comfortable with ambiguity (comfortable with being open to more than one interpretation). It is important to have an open mind to revisit prior assumptions.

Demonstration - Tools

The more knowledge and skills of problem solving a person posses the more able he/she is to solve life’s problems. If the only tool you have is a hammer then all your problems look like nails.

Demonstration - Eggs

Dealing with life’s biggest problems first will help make life more manageable. The challenge will be to determine which is which.

Demonstration - Doing Something with Something

How one perceives the purpose of an item affects how one uses it.

Connection Between Questions, Assumptions, and Conclusions

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Every situation has something to teach you and it is your job to figure it out. Being philosophical can reveal knowledge about everyday tasks. Wisdom is being able to recognize and use the knowledge.

What is Meant by the Phrase: “To Be Comfortable With Ambiguity”?

To realize that a person needs to be comfortable with not receiving an answer for every question that is asked.

What is Tension?

Inconsistent ideas or contradictions in beliefs held by the same person.

Why is it Important to Think Things Through?

The thoughtful and thorough consideration of things that are of critical importance to the individual, humanity and society. Thorough thinking is not just about insignificant stuff, it relates to thinking about things that really matter.

Why Does Philosophy Matter?

Philosophy itself has many different aims to make it matter, involving wisdom and knowledge into its ideologies. By diving into philosophy, a person can work towards the final stage of self actualization.

What Does Bertrand Russell Suggest as the Uses/Value of Philosophy? 

He says that it should be insoluble to the human intellect, which means that it is something that should not be changed/impacted with other influences or other people.

What References Are Made to the Value of Philosophy in the Reading, “Philosophy and the Good Life”?

Author Andreas Saugstad outlines how valuable philosophy can be to improve someone’s life. Aristotle and Nietzsche also provided input.

What are Aristotle’s thoughts on the Value of Philosophy?

Focused on how life is good when one thinks a lot. He believed it resembled “God’s mode of existence” and how philosophical problems can be euphoric to some.

What are Neizsche’s thoughts on the Value of Philosophy?

Added in some relations to modern psychological therapy, which makes life itself more sustainable. This contribution is based off of a therapeutic and creative approach to philosophy.

What Happens in “The Allegory of the Cave” and What is the Main Message?

Socrates has a discussion with Glaucon, explaining the story to him. In the cave, prisoners are chained to face a stone wall before them, only subjected to viewing shadows. This was their truth until one of the prisoners was able to leave and experience the real world. The main message of this is that the truth can be scary, but it is necessary for one to find the truth to live their life.

What Happens in “The Good Brahmin” and What is the Main Message?

This piece tells the story of a man and woman that live different lives that do not live all that far from each other. The Brahmin actually enjoyed philosophizing and thinking while the man did not. The main message is the exploration of the meaning of life by examining reason, ignorance, and the nature of one’s soul.

What is the meaning of John Stuart Mill’s quote: “It is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied; better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied.”

Mill believed that happiness is the aim of whatever we do; however, happiness does not mean pleasure. It also aims to prove that a person would not choose to be anything else satisfied aside from itself instead of selecting another animal.

What is the main criticism of Socrates in “Dear Socrates”?

The main criticism of Socrates in this piece is how he believed in the good of society. With this belief, it formed plenty of uncertainty, specifically about truth and lies.

What are the arguments used by Socrates to respond to the criticism?

Socrates brings up how there is a difference between himself and the prosecutor. He brings up how questioning your surroundings is not a bad thing and how people should proceed in situations like this. There is a right and wrong way to question and doubt things, he suggests.

What is the big plot point of Peaceful Warrior?

Ignorance is not blissful. There is never nothing going on at any given time, and one needs to become aware of others to have a clear mind and avoid missing out on life’s joys.

What is logic?

Correct reasoning  of true arguments.

What does “logos” translate to?

Reasoned speech.

What pattern of thinking is followed by deductive reasoning and inductive reasoning?

Small Picture → Big Picture

Big Picture → Small Picture

What are the parts of a conditional statement?

1. The “THIS" part is the antecedent
2. The “THAT” part is the consequent
3. A conditional statement does not assert the consequent; it asserts only that if the antecedent is true, then so is the consequent. 

Example of a conditional Statement: "*If* you can hear me, *then* you are alive”

What is meant by the term “logical contradiction”?

Something cannot be and not be.

What does the term “Valid” mean?

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* Valid = form

A syllogism (or any logical argument) is Valid if it follows the right form.

What does the term “Sound” mean?

Sound = Valid + Premises being true.

What basic elements are contained in a standard syllogism?

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2 premises

* Major Premise
* Minor Premise

1 conclusion

What is a categorical syllogism?

Deals with the category of a thing. Then there is a statement about the category of that thing.

* All A’s are B’s
* This C is an A
* Therefore, this C is a B

What is a disjunctive syllogism?

An either statement. The major premise presents a choice that makes it possible for both to be true. Minor premise denies one of the choices, the conclusion accepts the remaining option.

* Either A or B is a C
* A is not a C
* Therefore, B is a C

What is a hypothetical syllogism?

The major premise supposes that something is true that suggests an outcome, the minor premise supposes that if the outcome occurs, another thing will happen. The conclusion states that if the major premise is true that the conclusion is also true.

* If A then B
* If B then C
* Therefore, if A then C

What is Aristotle’s law of identity?

Something is what it is. Everything is itself and not something else. **When we say something is true, then our statements become true.**

What is Aristotle's law of non-contradiction?

Something cannot be and not be. Something that is true cannot at the same time be false.

What is Aristotle’s law of excluded middle?

Something must either be OR not be. There is no middle position for truth, it is either one thing or another.

What are Descartes four rules?

Do not accept anything not known to be true

Divide each problem into as many parts as possible

Start with simplest part and work toward most complex 

Make calculations as complete as possible (omit nothing)

What is a falacy?

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Occurs where the information offered to support a conclusion does not support that particular conclusion.

What is a Group A fallacy?

Argument focuses on People/Groups (5). Examples include: Attack on the person, appeal to tradition, attack on the motive, appeal to popularity, straw man.

What is a Group B fallacy?

Structure of argument. Examples include: Appeal to ignorance, begging the question, equivocation, loaded term, slippery slope.

What is a Group C fallacy?

Ambiguity. Examples include: Accident, converse accident, composition, decomposition.

What is an attack on the person fallacy? (Group A)

Attacking something personal about the arguer rather than the argument.

What is an appeal to tradition fallacy? (Group A)

Supporting a practice or view because it has been practiced or held for a long time.

* “that’s how we were raised… and we turned out fine”

What is an attack on the motive fallacy? (Group A)

Focusing on the intentions rather than the actions or suggesting a person holds their position because of their personal circumstances.

* “Where you sit influences where you stand”
* As in any rich person’s views on the economy are attacked because they must just be trying to benefit themselves

What is a bandwagon fallacy? (Group A)

Supporting something or opposing it based on the numbers that support it.

* “Everybody’s doing it…”

What is a straw man fallacy? (Group A)

Misrepresenting another’s argument as a means to make it easier to defeat it

* Changing facts or their meaning or their emphasis to undermine a position or argument 

What is an appeal to ignorance fallacy? (Group B)

Claiming something is true because it has not been proven false.

* “Since no one has proven that god does not exist, god must exist”

What is a begging the question fallacy? (Group B)

Asserting an unsupported proposition as the basis for a conclusion.

* Lying is wrong and all liars should be punished

What is a equivocation fallacy? (Group B)

Equating 2 things that have different (unsupported) meanings/values and then extending that meaning to a conclusion.

* Really exciting novels are rare, and rare books are expensive. So, really exciting novels must be expensive.

What is a loaded term falacy? (Group B)

Altering the meaning of a particular term to fit an argument either by broadening or narrowing the meaning.

* Country X requires financial support. It is a **Third World** country, so it is our responsibility to give financial aid to the people living there.

What is a slippery slope fallacy? (Group B)

Attacking a conclusion or an argument because of a possible (even if improbable) outcome linked to a series of events.

* So, it’s not the initial situation with which one takes issue, but another one that may result

What is an accident fallacy? (Group C)

Asserting that one should always follow a rule in ALL situations ignoring a valid exception that would excuse not following a rule.

* “Hey, you know the rule, tidy your room.  Don’t talk to me about the fire in the corner.  Just get that room cleaned up.”

What is a converse accident? (Group C)

Making generalizations from a specific case.

* “Frederik Andersen likes cats, and he sure is an excellent goalie. I guess this means that people who like cats make excellent goalies.”

What is a composition fallacy? (Group C)

Drawing the conclusion about a whole based on the features of its parts.

* “You like Chocolate ice cream, pickles and chicken: so you will love this Chicken-pickle-ice cream salad”

What is a decomposition fallacy? (Group C)

A feature or property of the whole is wrongfully ascribed to its parts.“

* Steven’s parents live in a fancy condominium complex so their apartment must be fancy”