Philosophy Exam

Four general materialist theories

logical behaviorism, identity theory, functionalism, eliminative materialism

What is Logical Behaviorism?

Mental states are just dispositions for behavior

What is a critique of Logical Behaviorism?

It ignores qualia

What an ethical problem for Logical Behaviorism?

People who can’t express normal behavior, like coma patients, could be denied moral status

What is Identity Theory?

Mental states are identical to brain states

What is a critique of Identity Theory?

It rules out minds in different physical systems, since the same mental state, like pain, can be realized in humans and animals.

What is an ethical problem for Identity Theory?

It raises the same question as Logical Behaviorism

What is Functionalism?

Mental states are defined by their functional roles

What is a critique of Functionalism?

Searle’s Chinese Room critiques this, as a system can perform the right functions without any genuine understanding.

What is an ethical problem associated with Functionalism?

This could mean complex AI deserves moral status

What is Eliminative Materialism?

Folk psychology (beliefs, desires, consciousness) is all false and will be replaced by neuroscience.

What is a critique of Eliminative Materialism?

It’s self-refuting: the claim that beliefs don’t exist is itself a belief.

What is an ethical problem for Eliminative Materialism?

If consciousness doesn’t exist, moral responsibility disappears entirely

Explain David Chalmers' distinction "Easy Problem"

Explains the cognitive and functional aspects of the mind (how the brain processes sensory information). Easy bc it can be explained through neuroscience

Explain David Chalmers' distinction "Hard Problem"

Explaining why and how any of that physical processing gives rise to qualia. Hard bc neuroscience cannot tell you why those processes feel like anything from the inside

Implications for Creator

If consciousness can’t be reduced to matter, mind must be fundamental, supporting a theistic worldview where a conscious personal God is the source of consciousness

Make a Biblical case for believing in the existence of the soul.

Jesus distinguishes between those who can kill the body and the One who can destroy both body and soul, which implies the soul is a distinct, non-physical reality. Throughout Scripture, humans are pictured as a body-soul unity in life, with the soul surviving physical death (Matthew 10:28)

Make a Philosophical case for believing in the existence of the soul.

Almost all atoms within the body are replaced after 10 years, yet you are still the same person who existed a decade ago. If you are purely physical, nothing more than your body and brain, a strict materialist would have to say the physical substance has been almost entirely swapped out. The soul accounts for this continuity as a non-material substance that persists through physical change

Give an argument for God's existence from the class slides in ONE of the following ways:

Option 1: Recite a syllogism from memory (e.g., the Kalaam) and then defend each premise with reasoning/evidence. Identify and respond to at least one significant objection.

P1: Everything that begins to exist has a cause

P2: The universe had a beginning

P3: Therefore, the universe had a cause

P4: The cause of the universe could not be physical, spatial, temporal, or impersonal

Give an argument for God's existence from the class slides in ONE of the following ways:

Option 1: Recite a syllogism from memory (e.g., the Kalaam) and then defend each premise with reasoning/evidence. Identify and respond to at least one significant objection.

DEFENSE 1

We’ve never observed something coming into existence without a cause

Give an argument for God's existence from the class slides in ONE of the following ways:

Option 1: Recite a syllogism from memory (e.g., the Kalaam) and then defend each premise with reasoning/evidence. Identify and respond to at least one significant objection.

DEFENSE 2

Second Law of Thermodynamics

Give an argument for God's existence from the class slides in ONE of the following ways:

Option 1: Recite a syllogism from memory (e.g., the Kalaam) and then defend each premise with reasoning/evidence. Identify and respond to at least one significant objection.

DEFENSE 3

Follows P1 and P2

Give an argument for God's existence from the class slides in ONE of the following ways:

Option 1: Recite a syllogism from memory (e.g., the Kalaam) and then defend each premise with reasoning/evidence. Identify and respond to at least one significant objection.

DEFENSE 4

The cause of the universe must predate physical matter, exist outside of space and time, and be a personal agent capable of freely choosing to act

Give an argument for God's existence from the class slides in ONE of the following ways:

Option 1: Recite a syllogism from memory (e.g., the Kalaam) and then defend each premise with reasoning/evidence. Identify and respond to at least one significant objection.

OBJECTION

Objection: Who made God?
If we are following P4, God is eternal, so He never began to exist, and therefore requires no cause

Someone asks you, "If God exists, why is there so much evil and suffering in the world?" How would you respond, and what answer(s) would you give? PART 1

Free Will Defense: God created humans as genuinely free moral agents, and real freedom means real responsibility for choosing wrongly. Most evil stems from moral evil and, therefore, human choices. If God eliminated evil by eliminating freedom, then love and virtue become meaningless

Someone asks you, "If God exists, why is there so much evil and suffering in the world?" How would you respond, and what answer(s) would you give? PART 2

God intimately handled suffering by entering it Himself. The cross is God absorbing the worst evil on our behalf, and the resurrection is His answer to it. He willingly gave up his only Son for the sake of our spiritual, physical, and moral well-being.

Explain and then give a critique of either moral relativism or moral skepticism.

Moral Relativism

The view that moral judgments are not objectively true or false and are instead relative to the individual or culture. No universal moral truths

Critique:

Moral progress becomes impossible.

Abolition of slavery becomes a change instead of moral progress —> absurd

Reformer’s Dilemma
Reformers like MLK Jr. were actually in the wrong, as they violated their culture’s standards.

However, they were recognized as moral heroes, which shows we implicitly believe in a moral standard that exists above culture

Define and explain the "Euthyphro Dilemma" that the Divine Command Theory faces. Explain how a proper understanding of God's nature provides a "middle way" to solve the dilemma.

Dilemma: Is something morally good because God commands it, or does God command it because it is good?

Option 1: The first makes morality seem arbitrary as God could command cruelty and it would then be seen as good

Option 2: The second suggests that goodness is independent of God and therefore He is unnecessary for morality

MIDDLE WAY: God's Nature as the Standard

Morality is both objective, rooted in God's unchanging nature, and theistically grounded, dependent on God, not independent of Him. God doesn't arbitrarily invent morality, and He's not subject to something above Him. He is the standard.

What is the ontological interpretation of being moral without God?

If God doesn't exist, no objective moral truths exist.

What is the epistemological interpretation of being moral without God?

If God doesn't exist, there's ultimately no way to justify your moral claim

What is one way atheists try to provide an objective basis for morality?

Natural Selection: Our capacity to hold abstract moral beliefs gave us an evolutionary, adaptive advantage.

What is a critique of the atheistic attempt to base morality on Natural Selection?

This claim doesn't explain why humans are special; it commits the naturalistic fallacy by deriving ought from is. Nature explains why we have moral feelings, not that we ought to act on them, and evolution gives us relative preferences rather than objective moral facts. Saying 'torturing innocents is wrong' would only mean 'most humans evolved to dislike it,' which is far weaker than the moral claim we actually believe.

Briefly identify the hallmarks of each of the 3 general systems of Normative Ethics.

Teleological

The righteousness of an action is determined by its outcomes or consequences

Briefly identify the hallmarks of each of the 3 general systems of Normative Ethics.

Deontological

Determined by whether it conforms to a moral rule or duty

Briefly identify the hallmarks of each of the 3 general systems of Normative Ethics.

Aretaic

Focuses on the character of the moral agent; right action flows from being a person of good character.

Do you think a Biblical, Christian ethic is primarily teleological, deontological, and/or aretaic (or some combination)? Use Scripture to justify your answer.

A Biblical Christian ethic is heavily aretaic, with deontological elements.

On the aretaic side, Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5) repeatedly emphasizes inner character over external rule-following. It's not just 'don't murder,' it's about what's happening in your heart.

On the deontological side, the Bible contains clear moral commands, the Ten Commandments being the clearest example.

So it's primarily about character transformation, but with a clear moral structure underneath