Philosphy

What is Philosophy? (Simplest definition)

Philosophy is thinking really hard about something (with the aim of answering the “big questions”.

How is philosophy different from science and math?

It doesn’t rely on experiments or observation, but only on thought. It had no formal methods of proof, it is done just by asking questions, arguing, trying out ideas, and thinking about possible arguments against them and wondering how our concepts really work.

What is Philosophy focused on?

What’s a good reason on thinking what you are thinking?

What is Metaphysics?

It means “about” (meta (after)) “the world” (physics). It deals with the nature (ex. people, religion) and structure of reality.

What is epistemology?

It means to “speak” (logeo) about “knowledge” (episteme). It deals with its nature, limits, methods, and origin of knowledge, beliefs, justification for believing etc. THE NATURE OF KNOWLEDGE

What are ethics?

True or False?: Philosophy is primarily concerned with understanding the scientific laws that govern the universe.

False

Axiology is the branch of philosophy that studies:

The nature of value

Logic is the study of nature of-

Reasoning

True or false: Aristotle said Philosophy begins in confusion but ends in wonder.

False

According to the main textbook, on page 5, science will NOT tell you the answers to the following questions EXCEPT___

Whether a space-ship can escape the gravitational pull of earth and enter space.

Cogito Ergo sum means:

I think therefore I am

True or false: Complete certainty is very hard to find

True

True or false: This was Descartes argument:

Premise 1: our senses have deceived us in the past

Premise 2: It is unwise to trust completely those who have deceived us even once

Conclusion: One should not place absolute confidence in one’s senses.

True

True or false: Descartes believed certainty could not be found anywhere even in mathematics

True

True or false: Descartes did not believe the evil demon thought experiment threatened his belief in his own existence since in order to have a thought/beliefs of any kind, one must first exist to do so. Also, an evil demon can only deceive things that exist.

True

The traditional view of knowledge takes knowledge as:

Justified, true, beliefs

True or false: according to the main textbook “philosophy is inevitable”

True

True or false: Socrates was put on trail for insurrection against the government and destruction of property.

False

True or false: Premise 1 – it is very unlikely you are hallucinating

Premise 2 – you can only be completely certain your perceptions are accurate If you can be completely certain that you’re not currently hallucinating

Conclusion: it is it is likely that your perceptions are accurate.

False

True or false: Descartes dream argument was:

Premise 1: you usually be completely certain that you’re not asleep having a vivid dream

Premise 2: you can only be completely certain that your perceptions are accurate if you can be completely certain that you’re not currently asleep having a vivid dream.

Conclusion: you can usually be completely certain that your perceptions are accurate

False

(ch 1,5) True or false: A key question of this chapter is whether we can be certain about anything

True

True or false: Descartes sought complete certainty

True

True or false: according to the main textbook, many belief philosophy is an esoteric subject.

True

True or false: astronomers in the 16th century, believe that the Earth was stationary and the center of the universe

True

True or false: The evil demon example is simply to show that one cannot be totally certain the evil demon doesn’t exist.

True

Descartes sought to reform the foundations of knowledge upon only_____beliefs

Certain

True or false: Most philosophers, since they reject skepticism, are fallibilists.

True

True or false: propositional knowledge is knowing someone face-to-face

False

True or false: cohetentism is an externalist form of epistemic justification

False

In the normal sentence, such as in mathematics, some define belief as a proposition that we____ is true

Think

True or false: Belief is the same as knowledge

False

True or false: Joe’s belief that the stock would go up was not properly justified and so did not count as knowledge

True

True or false: in a sentence “S knows that P”,S stands for a person and P for a proposition or declarative sentence

True

William Clifford (as opposed to William James) thought we should believe only on the basis of

Evidence

True or false: some thought, not many philosophers believe that a belief can be self justified

True

True or false: Gettier proposed that the three conditions for knowledge are inadequate, truth, beliefs, and justifications

True

Some famous foundationalists were___

John Locke, Descartes

True or false: Many beliefs are inferred from other beliefs

True

True or false: Knowledge= justified true belief

True

True or false: One criticism of foundationalism is that it is very difficult to determine which beliefs are properly basic. Some belief in God may be a basic belief, whereas others do not.

True

True or false: Foundationalism views justified beliefs, like a web where I was coherentists view justified believe like a building

False

True or false: Foundationalism have a hard time explaining which beliefs are basic and why those police are just

True

True or false: The example of propositional knowledges of the form S trust in P

False

Some define belief as believing___ something rather than believing___something is true

In, that

True or false: Coherentists believe that, at the very least, beliefs are justified if they are part of a coherent web of beliefs.

True

Aristotle noted that there are three possible ways to get around the circularity of justification:

1. The chain of justified beliefs is infinite.

2. The chain of beliefs is circular

3. there must be foundational beliefs

True or false: most philosophers embrace/accept skepticism

False

True or false: you cannot know something that is false

True

Joe did not know his stock would go up because___

He was merely lucky

The main type of knowledge that philosophers are interested in is

Propositional

True or false: The Gettier problem is basically that since our justifications do not guarantee the truth of our beliefs, it is possible to be justified in believing something in for it to be true and our justification is only accidentally sound, etc. you believing it’s 9 AM the clock says 9 AM it is indeed 9 AM however the clock broke a day before and you have to look at it at 9 AM.

True

True or false: Coherentism and reliabilism are basically the same thing.

False

The isolation obejection to coherentism is that

Are you sure your beliefs may be coherent but you could be in the matrix for all you know and your beliefs are all caused by super computer

True or false: Foundationalism is the view that there are epistemically basic beliefs on which all other beliefs are based upon these beliefs are not just a

True

True or false: internal ism and externalism are two ways of looking at epistemic justification

True