Philosophy Final

Test On: Critical Thinking (with short answer) The Righteous Mind (with short answer)

Be able to recognize whether an example given is an example of a strong inductive generalization or a hasty generalization. (Large sample size vs small sample size)

Be able to recognize whether an example given is an example of a strong inductive generalization or a hasty generalization. (Large sample size vs small sample size)

Hasty Generalization Example: I’ve hired three San Pedrans in the past six months, and all three were lazy and shiftless. I guess most San Pedrans are lazy and shiftless.

Strong Inductive Generalization Example: The fifteen winters Eric spent in New York City are cold. So, it may be that most winters in New York City are cold.

Be able to recognize whether an example of a statistical argument is inductively strong or weak.

Inductively Strong Statistical Argument Example: Fifty-five percent of Wexford students voted for Watkins as “Teacher of the Year.” Eileen is a Wexford student. So, Eileen probably voted for Watkins

Inductively Weak Statistical Argument Example: Only 3 percent of Wexford College students are against building the new gymnasium. Johnny Z is a Wexford College student. So, Johnny Z is against building the new gymnasium.

Be able to recognize whether an example of an argument from analogy is a strong analogy or a weak analogy. (Relevance of similarities, truth of premises)

Example of a strong argument from analogy: Taking care of your body is like taking care of your car. Preventive maintenance and a yearly inspection are required.

Example of a weak argument from analogy: My father did an excellent job of balancing the family budget, so they should let him try to balance the city budget.

Short Answer Critical Thinking: Give your own example of the following fallacy of insufficient evidence: False Alternatives

You don’t like war, so you must hate our troops.

Short Answer Critical Thinking: Give your own example of the following fallacy of insufficient evidence: Hasty Generalization

I asked 2 dentists about LeBron James, and they both said he is overrated. Therefore, LeBron must not be that good. 

Short Answer Critical Thinking: Give your own example of the following fallacy of insufficient evidence: Slippery Slope

If you don’t eat your vegetables, you will be unhealthy. If you are unhealthy, you will be fat. If you are fat, you will die. Therefore, Eat your vegetables because you don’t want to die.

Short Answer Critical Thinking: Give your own example of the following fallacy of insufficient evidence: Weak Analogy

A Cruise ship sails the seas and has air conditioning. A pirate ship sails the seas. Therefore, A pirate ship must have air conditioning as well.  

Give a basic definition of the following positions in moral psychology:
Rationalism
Empiricism
Nativism

Rationalism: We figure out moral intuition for ourselves. The goal is to become a mature agent who makes moral decisions based on reason.

Empiricism: The mind is a blank slate at birth. We acquire moral intuitions through experience.

Nativism: We are born with our moral intuitions.

If Jacobs’s HT corresponds to the _________ of reasoning, Haidt’s RM corresponds to the _________ of reasoning.

Art, Science

Who is the philosopher representative of rationalism, for Haidt?

Plato 

Who is the philosopher representative of empiricism, for Haidt?

David Hume 

Who is the scientist representative of nativism, for Haidt?

Darwin  

Hume: “Reason is, and ought only to be the _________ of the _________.”

Slave, Passions

What did Haidt’s own experiment, recounted in Chapter 1, add to our understanding of what Schweder’s experiments reveal?

Those who are upper class have a more individual understanding of what counts as moral. It’s not Westerner vs. Non-Westerner, it’s upper class vs lower class.

Who is our system 2 moral reasoning meant to convince?

Ourselves and Others. (All of the above, choice D)

Contrary to popular assumptions, there are two types of cognition. What are they?

Intuition and Reasoning.  

According to the diagram at p. 55, how might our moral intuitions, judgments, and reasoning actually be led to change?

Social interactions, dialogue! Our moral intuitions can change in dialogue with others who we trust but don’t agree with.

_________ is the antidote to self-righteousness.

Empathy.

What is the “mere exposure effect”?

Familiarity breeds attraction! We are drawn to things, people, and products we are familiar with. It is in the principles of advertising

Give a one-sentence definition of confirmation bias.

Confirmation bias is the tendency to only seek out and interact with information that supports previously held beliefs

What does Haidt mean when he writes that, “Our politics is groupish, not selfish”?

Haidt means we divide ourselves into groups politically. In politics, we care more about what’s in it for our group than what’s in it for us.

-Fill in the acronym:
W_________
E_________
I_________
R_________
D_________

Western

Educated

Industrialized

Rich

Democratic

Of innateness, in Chapter 7, it is suggested that the five moral foundations are like the (what) of the chapters of a book?

First/Rough drafts of the book 

What is the biological/evolutionary foundation of the Care/Harm foundation?

Being innately sensitive to things that are suffering/in distress. Being naturally caring for kids and for things that are cute.

Who (which group) does the American left tend to associate with the Care/Harm foundation?

Innocent victims 

Who (which group) does the American right tend to associate with the Care/Harm foundation?

Those who've sacrificed for the group: Veterans, Police Officers, First Responders 

Why does the reality of altruism make sense from the standpoint of biological evolution? (if we are selfish, why are we also generous)

The reality of altruism makes sense because of the idea of reciprocal altruism. We give expecting later for others to give to us. We believe our good deeds will be reciprocated

On the American left, Fairness is understood or interpreted to mean _________. On the right, it is understood or interpreted to mean _________.

Left: Equality, Right: Proportionality

What’s the “original trigger” of the Loyalty/Betrayal foundation?

The original trigger is anything that tells you who is a team player and who is a traitor.

T/F: In nature, hierarchical structures of authority are inherently unjust. Leaders of the group always exploit their underlings or subjects without providing anything in return.

False.

Be able to recognize examples of how the Sanctity foundation appears positively among the contemporary American right and (perhaps more difficult) the American left.

The American Right: View the body as a temple housing a soul. This promotes self-respect.

The American Left: The Sanctity foundation underlies the moral passions of the environmental movement.

What’s the genetic claim that Haidt makes about the brains of liberals and conservatives?

Conservatives respond more strongly to danger. While liberals respond with more pleasure to new experiences, novelty, and challenges. 

What kind of “heroism” narrative characterizes the contemporary American left?

Heroism of liberation

What kind of “heroism” narrative characterizes the contemporary American right?

Heroism of defense

Give a one-sentence definition of social capital

The social ties among individuals and the mutual benefit and trustworthiness that arise from those ties.

What’s the downside to emphasizing our differences, over and above what a group shares in common? (What does Haidt argue?)

Emphasizing differences promotes social isolation. When you only look at what you don’t have in common with people, it’s really hard not to pull into your shell.

The Righteous Mind Short Answer: Why won’t (some) atheists sell their souls?

There is a gut-level moral intuition that selling your soul should not be done. The human soul is worth more than 2 dollars is the moral intuition the atheists have. This is a subconscious moral intuition for the atheists.

The Righteous Mind Short Answer: What does Haidt call his own model of the origins of our moral reasoning? Why?

Haidt calls it the Social intuitionist model. Haidt calls it this because it took Hume’s model and made it social. Haidt’s model says moral reasoning is a part of our lifelong struggle to influence people.

The Righteous Mind Short Answer: What’s the difference between “can” and “must”? How does this relate to self-interest in reasoning?

When we are told we can do something we want to do it, when we are told we must do something, we don’t want to do it. When we want to believe something, we ask ourselves can I believe it? And we only look for evidence that supports the belief. When we don’t want to believe something we ask ourselves must I believe it? And we only look for contrary evidence.

The Righteous Mind Short Answer: What can the ethics of community and the ethics of divinity teach those whose moral matrix is the ethics of autonomy?

Autonomy: Do what you want.

Divinity: Act like God's children.

Community: Think beyond yourself.

Unlike autonomy, which is only concerned with one’s wants, both other ethics ask the individual to serve a larger purpose than themselves.

The Righteous Mind Short Answer: Explain what Haidt means when he coins the term moral capital

Moral Capital means how much a community has in common regarding values, practices, and identities that makes cooperation easier in the community. It is how trust leads to cooperation.

The Righteous Mind Short Answer: Identify 3 positive features among the contemporary left and right (3 for each).

Left: The left emphasizes compassion. The left is very open to diversity. The left considers environmentalism important.

Right: The right promotes individual rights. The right emphasizes traditional family values. The right values patriotism.

The Righteous Mind Short Answer: What’s wrong with unregulated markets?

In an unregulated free market companies can push their externalities onto the public. This can lead to negative consequences for uninvolved third parties.

The Righteous Mind Short Answer: What’s right about free markets?

Free markets promote competition. Competition inspires prices to drop. Competition also inspires innovation, leading to better products.

The Righteous Mind Short Answer: What are some indirect changes that could be made in society to help foster a shift from Manichaeism in our political thinking toward a more complementary (yin-and-yang) perspective?

Something we can do to shift toward a yin-and-yang perspective is have more media representation of those with different political beliefs having constructive dialogue.