Philosophy exit exam (Logic: 1-10; Ancient: 11-20; Modern: 21-30; Ethics: 31-40; M&E: 41-50) 1. An argument is valid if and only if: a. Both premises are true and the conclusion is true as well b. It is possible that the premises are true and the conclusion is true *c. It is impossible that the premises are true and the conclusion false d. It is impossible that the conclusion is false 2. The following argument is an instance of what argument form? (1) If it rains, then I will get wet. (2). If I get wet, then I will not be happy. (3) So, if it rains, then I will not be happy. *a. hypothetical syllogism b. modus ponens c. modus tollens d. disjunctive syllogism 3. The logical technique of proving something by showing that its denial leads to a contradiction is known as: a. Logica Contradictione *b. Reductio Ad Absurdum c. Negative Logical Inference d. Ockham s Razor 4. A set of sentences is consistent if and only if: a. All of them must be true. b. Some of them are true. *c. It is possible that all of them are true at the same time. d. It is not possible that any of them is false. e. None of them can be true. 5. Which of these is a universally quantified sentence? a. x (Fx & Gx) [alternate notation: ~(x)(fx & Gx) ]
b. x y ((Fx & Fy) x=y) [alternate notation: ( x)(y) ((Fx & Fy) x=y) ] c. x Fx & x Gx [alternate notation: ~( x)fx & (x)gx ] *d. x (Fx Gx) [alternate notation: (x)(fx Gx) ] 6. If an argument is valid and if its conclusion is false, then which of the following is the case? a. All of its premises must be false. b. At least one of its premises must be false. c. The argument is not sound. *d. both (b) and (c) e. all of (a), (b), and (c) 7. The categorical statement All miracles are acts of God is logically equivalent to all of the following statements except one. Which one is it? a. All events that are not acts of God are not miracles. b. No miracles are not acts of God. c. It s not the case that some miracles are not acts of God. *d. All acts of God are miracles. 8. Are the following two statements logically equivalent? (D (A v F) [alternate notation: (D (A v ~F)) ] D v (F& A) [alternate notation: (~D v ~(F ~A)) ] *a. yes b. no c. The answer cannot be determined from the information given. 9. How should the following English sentence be translated into the symbolism of sentential logic? Neither Smith nor Ruse wins if there is a tie. (S: Smith wins; R: Ruse wins; T: There is a tie) a. ( S & R) T [alternate notation: (~S ~R) T ] b. T (S&R) [alternate notation: T ~(S R) ] c. (S&R) T [alternate notation: ~(S R) T ] *d. T ( S & R) [alternate notation: T (~S ~R) ] 10. If two things in the domain are F, then which of these sentences follows? a. x Fx [alternate notation: ~( x)fx ]
*b. x Fx [alternate notation: ~(x)~fx ] c. x Fx [alternate notation: ~(x)fx ] d. x Fx [alternate notation: ( x)~fx ] 11. The Ionian Nature Philosophers (Thales, Anaximander, Anaximenes) were looking for the arche ; i.e., that which comes first in the order of being. For example, Thales held that the arche was water. What did Anaximander hold the arche to be? a. the One b. fire c. water *d. the boundless e. earth 12. The most fundamental entities in Plato s metaphysical thinking are the Forms. What are the most fundamental entities in Aristotle s thinking? a. prime movers b. categories c. universals *d. primary substances 13. How does Socrates justify his decision to remain in prison and to accept the death sentence? *a. Socrates believes that by being in Athens all his life, he has come to an agreement to follow the law. Fleeing from prison would be against the law and thus an injustice. b. Socrates agrees that his activities are a danger to Athenian society and that he has been corrupting the youth. c. Socrates believes that his divine sign has told him that he should stay in prison and accept death. d. Socrates believes that he has been unjustly accused and that he is not guilty of the charges. However, he also believes that death is a blessing and that he looks forward to crossexamining people in the afterlife. 14. In Book I of Plato s Republic, Thrasymachus argues for which philosophical position? a. Justice is helping your friends and harming your enemies. b. Justice is the advantage of another. c. Justice is to do what one has agreed to do. *d. Justice is the advantage of the stronger. e. Justice is an instrumental good but not a complete good.
15. In the Republic, Plato tries to establish that a. Just people are happy. b. Injustice is caused by disorder in the soul. c. The tyrannical soul is the unhappiest soul. d. A soul that is ruled by reason is happy. *e. all of the above 16. The atomists held that atoms are small, eternal, ungenerated entities that move in a void. Which of the following atomistic theses would Parmenides most reject as unthinkable or impossible? a. Atoms are small (i.e., not directly visible). *b. There is a void. c. Atoms are eternal. d. Atoms are ungenerated. 17. Zeno of Elea gives a number of paradoxes aimed at showing that motion is impossible. Another thesis is normally attributed to him as following from the impossibility of motion. Which of these is it? a. Motion obviously occurs, so some flaw must exist in the paradoxical reasoning. *b. There is no change. c. There is no knowledge. d. Nothing exists. e. Everything changes continuously. 18. Here is an argument from the Republic that philosophers would make the best rulers: (1) Philosophers are most able to grasp or understand the Form of the Good. (2) Understanding the Form of the Good is necessary for understanding the Form of Justice. (3) Understanding the Form of Justice is necessary for ruling the perfect state. (4) So philosophers are most able to rule the perfect state. Which of the following, if true, would show the argument to be unsound? a. It is possible to completely understand the Form of the Good. b. Lots of people have some grasp of the Form of the Good. *c. Non-philosophers can understand the Good just as well as philosophers. d. A democratic city would partake somewhat of the Form of the Good. e. The form of Justice is identical to the Form of the Good.
19. Plato divides reality into the visible realm and the intelligible realm. Which of these would Plato take to be in the intelligible realm? a. the Forms b. triangles c. human beings *d. (a) and (b) e. (a), (b), and (c) 20. Consider a bed made of wood, where the wood came from an oak tree. Which of the following would be true, according to Aristotle? a. The wood is the bed s efficient cause, and the oak is the bed s material cause. b. The oak is the bed s efficient cause, and the wood is the bed s formal cause. c. The bed is the oak s formal cause, and the wood is the oak s final cause. *d. The wood is the bed s material cause, and the oak is the wood s material cause. e. The oak is the wood s efficient cause, and the wood is the bed s efficient cause. 21. Which of the following philosophers argued that there are an infinite number of simple substances? *a. Leibniz b. Spinoza c. Descartes d. Locke 22. Which of the following philosophers argued that the mind is easier to know than the body? *a. Descartes b. Hume c. Locke d. Spinoza 23. Which of the following philosophers held that primary qualities of sensible objects exist in the objects themselves, but that secondary qualities exist only in the mind? a. Hume *b. Locke c. Berkeley d. Descartes
e. Spinoza 24. Which of the following commitments is a central feature of rationalism? a. the claim that sensory evidence has primacy over that provided by reason alone b. the claim that memory has primacy over the evidence provided by sensation c. the denial that sensation counts as evidence d. the denial that reason alone can get us any knowledge *e. the claim that reason has primacy over the evidence provided by sensation 25. Consider the inference from (1) All observed emeralds have been green to (2) All emeralds are green. One of Hume s questions in the Enquiry might be posed as Is it by reason that we make inferences like the one from (1) to (2)? Hume gives us an argument that the answer to that question is a. yes *b. no c. meaningless d. unknowable 26. Here are two claims Berkeley defends: (1) All sensible objects are composed of sensible qualities, and (2) sensible qualities are mind-dependent. He claims furthermore that something very important follows from (1) and (2). What conclusion does he draw from them? a. All sensible objects are mind-independent. b. There are no sensible objects. c. All sensible qualities are mind-dependent. d. All sensible qualities exist outside the mind, in the objects we see, hear, taste, etc. *e. All sensible objects have no existence outside the mind. 27. Locke suggests that we can know that our souls are always thinking only if we can experience that they are always thinking. But, since we sleep, we cannot experience that they are always thinking. What follows? a. The soul never thinks. b. The soul always thinks. c. We can know and we cannot know that our souls are always thinking. *d. We cannot know that our souls are always thinking.
28. In Meditation V, Descartes argues that the idea of God is the idea of a perfect being, and that existence belongs to the nature of God. Descartes concludes that God must exist. Which of the following would most undermine Descartes reasoning? a. a proof that God exists b. a proof that God could exist even in an imperfect world *c. a proof that nothing is absolutely perfect d. a proof that a Cartesian evil demon (or genius) is impossible e. a proof that God is a necessary being 29. Consider the following passage the very last paragraph of Hume s Enquiry: When we run over libraries, persuaded of these principles, what havoc must we make? If we take in our hand any volume; of divinity or school metaphysics, for instance; let us ask, does it contain any abstract reasoning concerning quantity or number? No. Does it contain any experimental reasoning concerning matter of fact and existence? No. Commit it then to the flames: For it can contain nothing but sophistry and illusion. Which of the following arguments would Hume reject as being nothing but sophistry and illusion? a. Descartes argument for the existence of God from Meditation III the one that includes the premise that there must be at least as much formal or eminent reality in the cause of an idea as there is represented by that idea. b. Leibniz argument for the existence of monads c. Berkeley s critique of the representative theory of perception the view that material things are indirectly perceived through ideas that represent them *d. (a) and (b) only e. all of (a), (b), and (c) 30. Consider the following formulation of an argument from Leibniz: (1) There is an infinite number of possible worlds. (2) Only one possible world can be the actual world. (3) God created the actual world. (4) There must be a sufficient reason for why God chose to create the world he did, rather than some other world. (5) God always acts for the best. (6) If God created an actual world that isn t the best possible, then God didn t act for the best. (7) The actual world is the best of all possible worlds. Which of the following claims would be most damaging to Leibniz argument above?
a. There are no bare monads. *b. Sometimes God doesn t do what is supremely good. c. Every proposition that is true must have a sufficient reason for its being true. d. Everything that exists must have a sufficient reason for why it exists. e. God exists in all possible worlds. 31. Emotivism is primarily the view that *a. moral statements express feelings b. moral obligations are immediately perceived c. moral claims are inherently objective d. obligations are not the result of moral reasoning 32. Many people think that because there is such a great diversity of moral beliefs, there can be no universally correct moral principles. This view is called a. ethical subjectivism *b. ethical relativism c. naturalism d. emotivism 33. The is-ought problem concerns whether *a. it is possible to draw evaluative conclusions from non-evaluative premises b. ethical theories can make moral recommendations c. it is possible to draw non-evaluative conclusions from evaluative premises d. people will do what they ought to do 34. The principle that whatever produces a net benefit for the agent is good is a significant feature of a. act utilitarianism *b. egoism c. social justice d. Kantian deontology 35. The ultimate source of human dignity for Kant is *a. reason b. God c. the categorical imperative
d. happiness 36. Suppose you see a homeless person, and that you have some extra time and money. Which of the following best exemplifies Kantian reasoning in such a situation? a. Give the homeless person some money because you are capable of it. b. Give the homeless person some money because it won t hurt you and it will benefit her. c. Do not give the homeless person some money, because you didn t harm her and thus you have no duties toward her. *d. Give the homeless person some money, because if you were in her position, you would recognize the need for it. e. Do not give the homeless person some money, because she will use it to do something bad. 37. Consider the following situation: Country A is considering waging war on country B, since B recently committed some atrocities. A is stronger and richer than B. Other countries in the world, however, do not want A and B to go to war. But if A and B do go to war, A will likely win, and A will benefit in terms of gaining resources (the spoils of war). However, A will probably lose the respect of other countries in the world, since those other countries are opposed to a war between A and B. War between A and B would also result in the loss of many of A s soldiers and many soldiers and innocent civilians in B. Which of the following best exemplifies utilitarian reasoning about this situation? a. A should wage war on B, since A will likely win. *b. A should not wage war on B, since the loss of life and respect involved are likely not outweighed by the benefits in terms of gaining resources. c. A should wage war on B, since A will gain more resources and look stronger. d. A should wage war on B, since B has committed atrocities and needs to be punished. e. A should not wage war on B, since innocent civilians will die. 38. Consider the question of whether to enact a universal health care system. Of the following options, what kind of system would Rawls social contract theory recommend? a. a system that benefited the most amount of people b. a system that gives equal rights (and thus equal health care) to all *c. a system that favored the least well off d. a system that is consistent with free market principles e. a system that distributes healthcare resources to the most virtuous people
39. Which TWO the following statements describe how virtue ethics can be action-guiding in a situation where I am contemplating whether or not to tell a lie? (1) I ask myself what the consequences would be of lying in this situation. (2) I ask myself whether there is a duty to not tell a lie in general. (3) I ask myself what it says about my moral character to lie in this situation. (4) I ask myself whether it would be treating someone as a means to an end if I lie to that person. (5) I ask myself whether a moral exemplar would lie in this situation. a. (2) and (4) b. (1) and (5) *c. (3) and (5) d. (2) and (3) e. (4) and (5) 40. Which of the following actions would be violations of Kant s second formulation of the categorical imperative: Act as to treat humanity, whether in your own person or in that of any other, in every case as an end and never as merely a means only? Use Kant s elaboration of this criterion and not neo-kantian interpretations such as those of O Neill, Bok, or Ross. (1) Buying a Happy Meal at McDonald s (2) Buying a full body massage from a massage therapist (3) Lying to a man who came to the classroom with a gun looking for the star football player (4) Lying to your partner about your own infidelities (5) Dating someone because of his/her wealth (6) Threatening to tell someone s spouse about his/her marital infidelities unless you get some money (7) Agreeing to be someone s slave a. (2), (4), (5), (6), and (7) b. (3), (4), and (6) c. (3), (4), (6), and (7) *d. (3), (4), (5), (6), and (7) e. All of (1) (7) 41. Consider the following three claims: (I) Knowledge is gained either by a priori intuition, or else inductively by way of making inferences from axioms and basic principles. (II) A claim is meaningful if and only if it is empirically verifiable. Which of the above claims are true, according to logical positivism?
a. (I) only *b. (II) only c. Both (I) and (II) d. Neither (I) nor (II) 42. In using Ockham s razor to choose between two competing theories, on what grounds is the choice made? a. One chooses the theory that has more explanatory power. b. One chooses the theory that fits better with the existing body of knowledge. *c. One chooses the theory that is simpler, all other things being equal. d. One chooses the theory that unifies different areas of science or philosophy better. e. One chooses the theory that has less explanatory power. 43. Consider the following statements: There really aren t any universals. What we call universals are really just sets of concrete particulars. For example, what realists call redness is really just identical to the set of all red things. There are red houses, red roses, and so on, but there is no redness over and above all of those things. There really aren t any mental states. What we call love, pain, and pleasure are really just types of brain states. What you would call my pain is just a particular instance of one type of brain state, and the holds true for all mental states, no matter how complex they happen to be. The views stated above are examples of: a. functionalist views *b. reductionist views c. conceptualist views d. relativistic views e. platonistic views 44. Which of the following is the principle called the principle of the indiscernibility of identicals? a. For all x and y, if x and y share all of the same constituents, then x=y. b. For all x and y, if x and y share all of the same properties, then x=y. *c. For all x and y, if x=y, then x and y share all of the same properties. d. For all x and y, x=y if and only if x and y share all of the same constituents. 45. According to the Classical (or Traditional) Analysis of Knowledge, knowledge is:
a. mere belief b. true belief c. justified belief *d. justified true belief e. certainty 46. Suppose I say to you that I ve been to my acupuncturist, and he tells me that I have serious problems with the energy flow around my body of something called chi, and that s why my foot has been hurting on and off for the last ten years. Which of the following is something that would exemplify how a logical positivist would reason about what my acupuncturist said? a. Every claim like that is false, since such claims are not empirically verifiable. b. Every claim like that is true, but trivially so since words like chi have meanings that are just made up by human beings. *c. Every claim like that is meaningless, since there is no possible empirical test that would verify that there is such a thing as chi. d. Every claim like that is meaningless, since all scientific investigations on the matter have proven that there s no such thing as chi. 47. Which theory of justification seems to allow for the possibility that one could have a set of beliefs that is each well justified and yet none of these beliefs is true? a. foundationalism b. rationalism c. reliabilism *d. coherentism 48. Which of the following is not consistent with foundationalism? *a. No beliefs are self-justified. b. Some beliefs are unjustified. c. Some beliefs are justified. d. No beliefs are based on sensation. e. All beliefs are based on sensation. 49. If there is no a priori knowledge, then which of the following claims would be least likely to be known? a. The sun will rise three weeks from now. b. The sun rose yesterday. c. Your name is <fill in your name here>.
d. F=ma *e. A square has four sides. 50. If every true proposition is true only relative to some culture, perspective, conceptual scheme, or individual belief, then which of the following views must be false? a. the identity theory *b. the correspondence theory of truth c. the epistemic theory of truth d. the principle of the identity of indiscernibles e. sense-data theory