Deck 9: The Pragmatic and Analytic Traditions

Question 1

The logical positivists rejected metaphysical and moral claims as meaningless nonsense.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

The perceived failure of phenomenalism led philosophers like Richard Rorty to adopt a foundationalist view of knowledge.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Which of the following best expresses phenomenalism as a metaphysical theory?

A) Physical objects don't exist, just sense-data.
B) Sense-data don't exist, just physical objects.
C) Sense-data are caused by, but not identical to, physical objects.
D) Physical objects are definable in terms of sense-data.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

According to the logical positivists, which of the following determines the meaning of an assertion purporting to be about reality?

A) the intentions of the writer or speaker
B) the public definitions of the words involved
C) the use to which the assertion is put
D) the observations that verify it

Question 5

Necessary truths are:

A) true statements that could be false.
B) true statements that could not possibly be false.
C) statements known to be true independently of any experience.
D) statements known to be true through experience.

Question 6

Which philosopher is associated with the idea of a language game?

A) Russell
B) Rorty
C) Dewey
D) Wittgenstein

Question 7

Which of the following is a universal?

A) Barack Obama
B) the U.S. Constitution
C) pen
D) France

Question 8

According to W. V. O. Quine, physical objects are theoretical posits, not constructs of sense-data.

Question 9

John Dewey was primarily interested in abstract metaphysical issues.

Question 10

Rorty adopts a nonrealist, nonrepresentationalist conception of truth as that which meets the current standards of rationality of a particular group of speakers.

Question 11

Which of the following views about truth is held by pragmatists in general?

A) Truth is what all investigators will ultimately agree to.
B) Truth is relative to place, time, and purpose.
C) Truth is what works for the individual.
D) Truth is unchanging.

Question 12

According to epistemological foundationalism, a belief becomes knowledge when it:

A) is clearly and distinctly true.
B) logically follows from other beliefs that cannot be doubted.
C) follows from other beliefs that are true.
D) meets the current standards of rationality of the group to which a person belongs.

Question 13

Who is most likely to have written "There is no method for knowing when one has reached the truth, or when one is closer than ever before"?

A) Jacques Derrida
B) Michel Foucault
C) Richard Rorty
D) Jürgen Habermas

Question 14

Phenomenalists believe that there are no physical objects, just sense-data.

Question 15

Philosophical analysis attempts to:

A) resolve complex propositions or concepts into simpler ones.
B) integrate separate, simpler propositions into a more complex, but more complete, whole.
C) show that the concept of objective truth leads to unresolvable paradoxes.
D) replace object-talk with sense-data talk.

Question 16

Which of the following statements is true of Richard Rorty?

A) He is considered to be a theist.
B) His philosophy is dependent on the Hegelian Oneness.
C) He believed that standards are independent of culture.
D) He maintained that starting points are contingent.

Question 17

Bertrand Russell argued that the world consists of many independent atomic facts rather than a single all-encompassing Hegelian Oneness.

Question 18

Which of the following is an ontological question?

A) Do selves exist?
B) Is torture justified?
C) Is knowledge subjective?
D) Do democracies lead to tyranny?

Question 19

Which of the following perspectives is held by antirepresentationalists?

A) Beliefs do not represent reality.
B) True beliefs are those that hang together in a coherent fashion.
C) True beliefs are those that most members of a group consent to.
D) Beliefs correctly represent the world as it is.

Question 20

According to logical atomists, the world is a collection of:

A) atomic facts.
B) physical atoms.
C) immaterial minds.
D) sense-data.

Question 21

Richard Rorty maintains that, even though each culture has its own constraints on inquiry (standards of rational discourse), there are universal constraints on inquiry that define the objective standpoint for everyone.

Question 22

According to ontological realism, ontological investigation can disclose objective truth.

Question 23

Ludwig Wittgenstein rejected his own ideas in Tractatus as resting on an incorrect portrayal of the relation of language to the world.

Question 24

According to Saul Kripke, the meaning of a proper name for a thing is synonymous with a description of the thing.

Question 25

Indeterminacy of translation is the idea that alternative incompatible translations of a language are equally compatible with the linguistic behavior of adherents or speakers.