Question 1

Descartes employed skepticism as a method of achieving certainty.

Accepted Answer

Descartes believed that one could achieve certainty by doubting everything that could be doubted, and only accepting as true those beliefs that could not be doubted. This method of doubt is a form of skepticism that he used to arrive at certain indubitable truths, such as his famous statement "I think, therefore I am."

Question 2

Leibniz and Newton, independent of each other, developed the calculus-and at the time, there was bitter controversy over who did so first.

Accepted Answer

This is true. Leibniz and Newton both developed calculus independently, and there was indeed controversy over who discovered it first.

Question 3

Conway argued that, since God is an eternal creator, the universe did not have a specific moment of creation.

Accepted Answer

Conway's argument is known as the "eternalist" view, which posits that time and the universe have no beginning and no end, and that the universe has always existed in some form. Therefore, according to Conway, the universe did not have a specific moment of creation.

Question 4

According to Rene Descartes, &#34;clarity and distinctness&#34; was a mark of _____.&#10;A) God&#10;B) goodness&#10;C) truth&#10;D) rationality

Accepted Answer

Clarity and distinctness were seen by Descartes as a criterion for determining truth. He argued that clear and distinct ideas were those that could be easily understood and could not be doubted, and therefore corresponded to objective reality. This formed the basis of his famous maxim "I think, therefore I am" and his philosophical method of doubt and inquiry. While Descartes believed in God, goodness, and rationality, they were not necessarily linked to his concept of clarity and distinctness.

Question 5

Hobbes would maintain that the green we experience when seeing a green lawn is in fact in the particles making up the lawn.

Accepted Answer

Hobbes, following materialist philosophy, would argue that the green we experience is not a property inherent in the particles of the lawn but rather a result of the way our sensory apparatus interprets the interactions between those particles and light.

Question 6

According to Anne Conway, God _____.&#10;A) is part mental, part physical&#10;B) is in time and space and subject to change&#10;C) created the universe in a single creation event&#10;D) is an eternal creator

Accepted Answer

According to Anne Conway, God is an eternal creator. She believed in a panentheistic view of God, meaning that while God is present in all things, God exists beyond the physical world as well. She also saw God as immutable and unchanging.

Question 7

Anne Conway advocated what sort of metaphysics?&#10;A) materialism&#10;B) idealism&#10;C) dualism&#10;D) monadology

Accepted Answer

Anne Conway is best known for her work in metaphysics, particularly her development of a form of monadology. Unlike Leibniz's later monadology, Conway's version posits that everything in the universe is composed of monads, which are dynamic, spiritual entities that change and interrelate in a complex system. This perspective is distinct from materialism, idealism, and dualism, making monadology her unique contribution to philosophical thought.

Question 8

The most famous monadology in the history of philosophy is that of _____.&#10;A) Thomas Hobbes&#10;B) Baron von Leibniz&#10;C) Benedictus de Spinoza&#10;D) Gottfried Wilhelm

Accepted Answer

The most famous monadology belongs to Baron von Leibniz, who developed the concept of monads as the basic units of reality. Hobbes, Spinoza, and Leibniz are all important figures in philosophy, but only Leibniz is known for his monadology.

Question 9

What did George Berkeley mean about such things as tables and chairs when he denied the existence of matter?&#10;A) There are no unperceived tables and chairs.&#10;B) There are no tables and chairs.&#10;C) Tables and chairs are really just swarms of particles in motion.&#10;D) Everything, including tables and chairs, is an illusion.

Accepted Answer

George Berkeley believed that physical objects, such as tables and chairs, only exist in the minds of perceivers. In other words, the only way a table or chair can exist is if someone is perceiving it. Therefore, there are no unperceived tables and chairs.

Question 10

Which of the following statements would Thomas Hobbes have accepted?&#10;A) The mind and the body are separate and distinct substances.&#10;B) All psychological states derive ultimately from perception.&#10;C) Reasoning is not based on perceptions.&#10;D) To be is to be perceived.

Accepted Answer

Hobbes believed that all psychological states, including reasoning, ultimately derive from perception. He did not accept the mind-body dualism (A), which is associated with René Descartes. Hobbes also did not subscribe to the philosophical idealism expressed in statement D, which was proposed by George Berkeley.

Question 11

Representative realism holds that all of our perceptions of an external object are accurate copies of the object.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Representative realism holds that all of our...

Question 12

Some of Descartes's followers proposed a solution to the problem of how the immaterial mind interacts with the material body, given that the body is supposed to be subject to physical laws. The solution is called _____.

A) parallelism
B) epicureanism
C) determinism
D) druidism

Accepted Answer

The answer of Some of Descartes's followers proposed a solution...

Question 13

According to the basic and plausible assumptions followed by Leibniz, the principle of the identity of indiscernibles states that there is a sufficient reason why things are exactly as they are and are not otherwise.

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to the basic and plausible assumptions...

Question 14

For Berkeley, no sensible object can exist unperceived.

Accepted Answer

The answer of For Berkeley, no sensible object can exist...

Question 15

Empiricists argue that all of our knowledge comes from sense experience.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Empiricists argue that all of our knowledge...

Question 16

Which of the following claims did Descartes use to establish the certainty of his own existence?&#10;A) To be is to be perceived.&#10;B) I think, therefore I am.&#10;C) Nothing exists except bodies in motion.&#10;D) Every created thing has both mental and physical properties.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following claims did Descartes...

Deck 6: The Rise of Modern Metaphysics and Epistemology