Intro to Philosophy Test Bank 1. What is the etymological meaning of the term philosophy? a. Search for meaning b. Way of the sage c. Love of one’s own
... [Show More] view d. Love of wisdom Correct: d. Love of wisdom 2. Which of the following involves the study of “ultimate reality”? a. Ethics b. Metaphysics c. Epistemology d. Social and political philosophy Correct: b. Metaphysics 3. What is the name for the branch of philosophy that studies the nature, origin, and even possibility, of knowledge? a. Metaphysics b. Social and political philosophy c. Ethics d. Epistemology Correct: d. Epistemology 4. Which of these terms is the name for the study of moral problems, the study of questions of right and wrong, good and bad? a. Epistemology b. Metaphysics c. Social and political philosophy contact: [email protected] d. Ethics Correct: d. Ethics 5. Pantheism is the view that a. There is one thing and that thing is God. b. The underlying reality is better characterized by nothingness than by being. c. The world consists of two basic principles, one manifesting good, the other manifesting evil. d. God is the creator of the world. Correct: a. There is one thing and that thing is God. 6. Throughout most of early human history it is thought that people were a. Materialists b. Polytheists c. Atheists d. Monotheists Correct: b. Polytheists 7. The period between the 6th Century BCE and the 3rd century BCE when many of the world’s first well-developed philosophical system developed is known as a. The age of reason b. The axial age c. The pondering age d. The age of belief Correct: b. The axial age 8. Lao-tzu literally means a. The wandering one b. Emptiness c. The enlightened d. The old master Correct: d. The old master 9. According to Legend, Lao-tzu wrote a. Chang Tzu b. The I Ching (the Book of Changes) c. The Analects d. The Tao te Ching Correct: d. The Tao te Ching 10. Thought it can’t be precisely defined or named, the word “Tao” literally means which of the following? a. Religion b. The “way” c. Heaven d. Goodness Correct: b. The “way” 11. Lao-tzu was a proponent of minimalist government a. True b. False Correct: a. True 12. Confucius focuses on the relation between “Tao” (the way of the universe) and “te” which means what? a. Convention b. Hostility c. Potency d. Weakness Correct: c. Potency 13. Confucius emphasized a. That we should follow our own bliss. b. That one should seek above all else to find God within oneself. c. That our main emphasis should be to become fully human. d. That one could not be moral without the help of the gods. Correct: c. That our main emphasis should be to become fully human. 14. Confucius thinks a. That humans are embedded in a network of systems of mutual influence (family, community) b. That an education should involve an understanding of history, poetry, society, politics, and metaphysics c. That in pursuing one’s own development one at the same time contributes to the benefit of others d. All of the above Correct: d. All of the above 15. Confucius and Lao Tzu both believed in the idea of wu wei (acting through nonaction). a. True b. False Correct: a. True 16. Confucius emphasized the importance of the virtue of jen, which focused on the need for a. Empathy b. Wisdom c. Bravery d. Moderation Correct: a. Empathy 17. Confucius wrote the Tao te Ching a. True b. False Correct: b. False 18. The Sophists a. Viewed reason as one of many tools for argumentation. The point was to win argument by whatever means was effective. b. Used exclusively reason in their arguments c. None of the above d. Thought that reason stood in the way of truth, and that one needed an intuition of the ultimate reality, which was only possibly by frustrating reason Correct: a. Viewed reason as one of many tools for argumentation. The point was to win argument by whatever means was effective. 19. Someone who thinks that cultural standards set norms that we should follow in that culture is known as a. A pluralist b. A moral skeptic c. An individualist relativist d. A cultural relativist Correct: d. A cultural relativist 20. Socrates is generally viewed as a sophist. a. True b. False Correct: b. False 21. Socrates wrote the Republic. a. True b. False Correct: b. False 22. Socrates thought which of the following: a. He was wiser than most because he recognized what he did not know b. We should question the prevailing beliefs of our culture with a probing reason c. The unexamined life isn’t worth living d. All of the above Correct: d. All of the above 23. It was the Oracle of Athens which said that no one was wiser than Socrates. a. True b. False Correct: b. False 24. Which of the following views did Socrates hold? a. Because of “weakness of will”, people often do what they know to be bad. b. People will do what is good if they truly have a penetrating knowledge that it’s good c. None of the above d. Human life must have both good and bad because we only understand the concepts in relation to each other Correct: b. People will do what’s good if they truly have a penetrating knowledge that it’s good. 25. One of the reasons Socrates was put on trial was a. For inciting violence against the King b. For believing in Roman gods c. For refusing to go to war d. For corrupting the young Correct: d. For corrupting the young 26. Socrates argues that because he has benefited so much from society’s laws and social structures, he is obligated to accept even its unjust ruling about his death penalty. a. True b. False Correct: a. True 27. Socrates though that death was not to be feared because a. The body and soul will be reunited after birth b. The soul is reincarnated c. In the worst case, it is like a night of dreamless sleep d. None of the above Correct: c. In the worst case, it’s like a night of dreamless sleep 28. Existentialists tend to emphasize that questions of a meaningful life are the most important questions of philosophy a. True b. False Correct: a. True 29. Existentialists think that the sciences offer the best understanding of how to answer meaning of life questions a. True b. False Correct: b. False 30. Kierkegaard emphasizes a. It is most important in life that one embraces the ethical life b. The most satisfying human life is the life of pleasure c. The best life is the life of politics d. Ultimately that the greatest meaning to be had in life is achieved through a life of faith Correct: d. Ultimately that the greatest meaning to be had in life is achieved through a life of faith 31. Kierkegaard emphasizes that a. God has predetermined our fates b. We create ourselves through our own action c. Our characters are largely due to our genetic make up d. We are largely created through environmental factors outside of our control Correct: b. We create ourselves through our own action 32. Pragmatists emphasized the importance of starting philosophical reflections on absolutely certain foundations a. True b. False Correct: b. True 33. Pragmatism emphasizes a. We judge the truth of ideas based on how they work in the world b. We should rely exclusively on science for our views about the world c. Truth is completely subjective d. We should turn away from philosophy because it is not a practical discipline Correct: a. We judge the truth of ideas based on how they work in the world 34. William James thought that a. None of the above b. Questions of the truth or falsity of religion weren’t able to be decided upon, so we should simply ignore them and ask questions that we can answer adequately c. Because of the positive effect of religious experience on our lives we had a good reason for affirming the truth of religion d. Because religion has caused much suffering in human history, we would be better off without it and we should reject religion Correct: c. Because of the positive effect of religious experience on our lives we had a good reason for affirming the truth of religion 35. William James rejected that we have free will a. True b. False Correct: b. False 36. Kant noted that humans were fundamentally irrational a. True b. False Correct: b. False 37. Kant was which of the following a. A 20th century German philosopher b. All of the above c. A proponent of Romanticism d. The main German proponent of the enlightenment Correct: d. The main German proponent of the enlightenment 38. Immanuel Kant was a strict empiricist a. True b. False Correct: b. False 39. Kant thought that in order for knowledge to be possible we needed a. Only to reflect rationally upon the world b. Only to observe the world around us c. None of the above d. Both rationality and sensory experience Correct: d. Both rationality and sensory experience 40. In Soccio’s view the modern epistemological turn is characterized by which of the following a. Descartes’ focus on our knowledge of our own mind b. Kant’s understanding of how the mind works with the sensory experience of the world c. All of the above d. Hume’s focus on the limits of a priori knowledge Correct: c. All of the above 41. Kant distinguishes between a world as it really is, known as the __________________, and the world as it appears. a. As is world b. Phenomena c. World as it is d. Neumena Correct: d. Neumena 42. Kant thinks we can have absolute knowledge of the existence of God a. True b. False Correct: b. False 43. Descartes was a main thinker in the Renaissance. a. True b. False Correct: b. False 44. Descartes’ method is oriented toward a search for certainty a. True b. False Correct: a. True 45. Descartes is a. None of the above b. Both of the above c. A dualist d. A rationalist Correct: b. Both of the above 46. Descartes method is known as a. Absolute skepticism b. Methodic doubt c. The hypothetical deductive method d. General introspection Correct: b. Methodic doubt 47. Descartes is most famous for saying a. The gods hear the prayers of those they want to punish b. I think, therefore I am c. Better Socrates unsatisfied than a pig satisfied d. The unexamined life is not worth living Correct: b. I think, therefore I am 48. Descartes notes that a. He dreamt he was a butterfly, and when he awoke, he wondered if he were perhaps a butterfly dreaming of being a person b. Virtually everything we perceive in the world could be wrong, because an evil deceiver could be distorting our consciousness c. The world could be a matrix-like program, designed by aliens d. All of the above Correct: b. Virtually everything we perceive in the world could be wrong, because an evil deceiver could be distorting our consciousness 49. Descartes argues that the existence of the self is the one thing that we can be most certain of. Theoretically, one would have to either BE correct or BE incorrect about what one was thinking. But in either case, one must be thinking it. So one must be. a. True b. False Correct: a. True 50. Descartes accepts which of the following proofs for the existence of God a. The teleological proof b. The moral proof c. The cosmological proof d. The ontological proof Correct: d. The ontological proof 51. Descartes thinks that body and soul are inseparable a. True b. False Correct: b. False 52. Since the physical sciences were so successful at Descartes’ time, Descartes thought they could explain all of reality. a. True b. False Correct: b. False 53. Augustine thinks that faith and reason do not conflict and that since non-Christians have reason Christians should learn from Greek philosophy and other traditions outside of the Christian tradition. a. True b. False Correct: a. True 54. Augustine views philosophy as at the service of philosophy, or as the “handmaiden of technology”. a. True b. False Correct: a. True 55. Augustine indicates that an unjust state is in essence no different from a band of robbers a. True b. False Correct: a. True 56. Augustine is not positive about the ultimate ability of governments to create conditions for justice and human fulfillment a. True b. False Correct: a. True 57. Which thinker is credited with synthesizing Christian views with Aristotelian philosophy? a. Augustine b. Albertus c. Ambrose d. Aquinas Correct: d. Aquinas 58. Aquinas thinks that all people have an ability to know what is moral because of the use of their reason. The name for law that we know through human reasoning is a. Positive law b. Eternal law c. Divine law d. Natural law Correct: d. Natural law 59. Aquinas thinks that human laws are only just if they reflect natural law. a. True b. False Correct: a. True 60. In the view of Aquinas, a relationship with God is necessary for a fully realized human life. a. True b. False Correct: a. True 61. Aquinas thinks that the good of the individual and the common good overlap a. True b. False Correct: a. True 62. In Aristotle, which of the four causes is synonymous with “purpose,” the ultimate cause of a thing’s existence? a. Material b. Final c. Formal d. Efficient Correct: b. Final 63. Aristotle views politics and ethics as a. Separate. To be just one has to follow foundational principles b. Neither of the above c. Essentially intertwined. A just state facilitates the development of just individuals. Just individuals help make the state just. Correct: c. Essentially intertwined. A just state facilitates the development of just individuals. Just individuals help make the state just. 64. For Aristotle individual things are constituted by: a. Form and matter b. Matter alone c. Form alone d. Function Correct: d. Function 65. Aristotle was the teacher of Peter the Great a. True b. False Correct: b. False 66. Aristotle is viewed as a. A materialist b. An idealist c. A naturalist d. A pantheist Correct: c. A naturalist 67. Teleological thinking focuses on a. The ends or purposes of objects b. The study of angels c. The role of the material a thing is made of in making it what it is d. The individuals who create objects Correct: a. The ends or purposes of objects 68. Aristotle’s ethics is known as deontological ethics a. True b. False Correct: b. False 69. In Aristotle’s view a. We should strive to be virtuous human beings b. All of the above c. We form ourselves through our habitual actions d. The application of ethics needs to consider the specific contexts of action Correct: b. All of the above 70. The name for the ideal or conceptual entities that Plato thinks make knowledge (as opposed to mere belief) possible is what? a. Kinds b. Types c. Forms d. Sorts Correct: c. Forms 71. Plato describes the ideal state and discusses his view of what a philosopher should do in which of the following books? a. The Utopia b. The Academy c. The Republic d. The Aristocracy Correct: c. The Republic 72. The story from Book VII of The Republic that describes one’s ascent from illusion to enlightenment is called which of the following? a. The Allegory of the Cave b. The Rules of the Wise c. The Theory of the Forms d. The Simile of the Sun Correct: a. The Allegory of the Cave 73. Plato emphasizes that we gain knowledge through sense experience and is generally considered an empiricist? a. True b. False Correct: b. False 74. Plato thinks that through intuition of ultimate truth not through reason, we become free a. True b. False Correct: b. False 75. Plato is generally considered the first systematic philosopher and he wrote in nearly all areas of philosophy, including epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, political philosophy, and aesthetics a. True b. False Correct: a. True [Show Less]