Philosphy Midterm

a-priori statements are…

statements that can be known to be true without having to consult experience

strictly speaking, the word “philosophy” mean

love of wisdom

which of the following is a common name for the theory that the mental and the physical comprise of two fundamentally different substances?

substance dualism

according to the empiricist philosopher David Hume, we never experience a necessary connection between a cause and an effect, only

constant conjunction

which of the following is NOT one of the four types of cause identified by Aristotle?

subsanital cuase

the view according to which every event is entirely determined and free will is incompatible with determinism

incompatibilism

the “ship of Theseus” thought experiment presents several interesting problems. Which of the following is NOT a subject for any of those problems?

personal identity

derived from the Greek words for knowledge and study, _______________ is that area of philosophy concerned with the nature and scope of knowledge.

epistemology

according to Plato, what are the three conditions of knowledge

justification, belief, truth

suppose I suddenly believed, for no particular reason, that I will win the lottery tomorrow, and suppose I actually end up winning. Most philosophers would say that I didn’t know that I would win, since my true belief lacked _______________.

justification

according to foundationalist analyses of knowledge, _________________.

beliefs can be justified on the basis of basic, self-evident beliefs

which of the following claims best describes the central thesis of coherentism?

beliefs are justified according to how well they fit in with a person's overall set of beliefs

some statements are said to be known to be true not because there is empirical evidence for them, but because they are analytically true. Which of the following is NOT a statement that can be known in this way?

a-priori statements are…

statements that can be known to be true without having to consult experience

according to plato, the only true objects of knowledge are...

the eternal forms

which of the following would NOT be an object of knowledge by acquaintance?

knowing how to drive a car

which of the following best describes a-posteriori knowledge?

knowledge that is gained through direct sensory experience and empirical observation

the concept of "a-priori knowledge" refers to knowledge that can be gained independently of experience, through reasoning alone

false

according to epistemological "foundationalism," all knowledge is based on a foundation of indubitable beliefs

true

"coherentism" argues that beliefs are justified by their coherence with other beliefs, rather than being based on a foundational set of beliefs.

true

in metaphysics, the concept of substance refers to that which exists independently and supports properties or changes.

true

in metaphysical discussions, "determinism" refers to the idea that every event or state of affairs is the result of preceding events in accordance with natural laws.

according to physicalism, everything that exists is ultimately physical in nature.

true

the concept of "universals" in metaphysics refers to properties or qualities that can be instantiated in multiple particular objects, like the color red.

ethical realism is the view that…

moral facts exist

ethical realists believe that…

consequentialism is the view that…

acts are to be morally judged in terms of their consequences

utilitarianism is a species of…

consequentialism

aristotle thought cultivating virtue was well suited to making good choices because…

good is a mean somewhere between two extremes

according to typical versions of virtue ethics…

the virtues are learned by habit and experience

what does the principle of utilitarianism focus on when determining the morality of an action?

the greatest happiness for the greatest number

according to deontological ethics, what is most important when evaluating the morality of an action?

the Trolley Problem is a classic ethical dilemma used to explore which aspect of ethics?

utilitarianism

what is the role of logic in philosophy?

to determine, given the truth of certain statements, what else must be given

an inductive argument is one in which

the truth of the conclusion is shown to be probable

inductive arguments differ from deductive arguments in that

the latter establish a conclusion with certainty, not probability

in stoic logic, which statement best represents a conditional proposition?

if it rains, the ground will be wet

utilitarianism is an ethical theory that suggests the best action is the one that maximizes overall happiness or pleasure.

true

according to deontological ethics, the morality of an action is determined solely by its consequences.

false

virtue ethics emphasizes the importance of developing good character traits and virtues as the basis for moral behavior

true

the concept of moral relativism holds that moral principles are universal and apply equally to all people, regardless of culture or context.

false

in logical terms, an “argument” is defined as a set of premises with a conclusion that follows from those premises.

true

the term “fallacy” in logic refers to a mistake in reasoning that often leads to an invalid argument.

true