Question 1

Lucretius' Symmetry Argument&#8230;&#10;A) supports Epicurus' position on death.&#10;B) denies that we go out of existence at death.&#10;C) claims that death is an integral part of life.&#10;D) argues that because death is bad, birth must be bad too.

Accepted Answer

Lucretius' Symmetry Argument supports Epicurus' position on death by arguing that death should not be feared because it is merely a return to the state of non-existence that was ours before we were born. This aligns with Epicurean philosophy, which views death as neither good nor bad because it is the absence of sensation.

Question 2

Nagel argues that&#8230;&#10;A) birth can deprive, but death cannot.&#10;B) death can deprive, but birth cannot.&#10;C) both birth and death can deprive.&#10;D) neither death nor birth can deprive.

Accepted Answer

Nagel argues that because we have not yet existed before our birth, we cannot be deprived of anything. However, after our birth, we can be deprived of various things including experiences, opportunities, relationships, etc. On the other hand, death deprives us of all future experiences, opportunities, relationships, etc. that we could have had if we were still alive. Therefore, death can deprive, but birth cannot.

Question 3

Fischer and Brueckner respond to Lucretius' Symmetry Argument by&#8230;&#10;A) denying that birth can be bad.&#10;B) denying that death can be bad.&#10;C) arguing that we are biased toward the future.&#10;D) rejecting the claim that neither birth nor death are bad.

Accepted Answer

Fischer and Brueckner argue against Lucretius' Symmetry Argument by suggesting that our attitudes towards birth and death are not symmetrical because we are biased toward the future. This bias makes us view death as potentially bad in a way that we do not view birth.

Question 4

Kaufman responds to Fischer and Brueckner by&#8230;&#10;A) rejecting their account of personal identity.&#10;B) claiming that both birth and death can deprive&#10;C) arguing that their view begs the question.&#10;D) arguing that their view fails to address Lucretius' symmetry argument.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Kaufman responds to Fischer and Brueckner by&#8230;&#10;A)...

Question 5

According to Timmerman's Big Bang Argument&#8230;&#10;A) it is possible that the Milky Way not come into existence at all.&#10;B) it is possible that the Milky Way will never go out of existence.&#10;C) it is possible that the Milky Way came into existence earlier than it did.&#10;D) it is not possible that the Milky Way came into existence later than it did.

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to Timmerman's Big Bang Argument&#8230;&#10;A) it...

Question 6

Kaufman responds to Timmerman's Big Bang Argument by&#8230;&#10;A) denying that the Milky Way has to exist.&#10;B) arguing that an earlier existing Milky Way does not deprive me of time alive.&#10;C) claiming that the Big Bang argument is far too speculative to support Timmerman's conclusion.&#10;D) arguing that if the Milky Way came into existence earlier, that possible world would be vastly different than our actual world.

Accepted Answer

Kaufman argues that even if the Milky Way existed earlier, it does not deprive us of time alive in our current world. Therefore, he challenges Timmerman's Big Bang Argument by denying the premise that an earlier existing Milky Way would necessarily lead to a different outcome in terms of our own existence. Option A is incorrect as Kaufman does not deny the existence of the Milky Way. Option C is also incorrect because Kaufman does not claim that the Big Bang argument is too speculative to support Timmerman's conclusion. Finally, option D is incorrect because Kaufman does not specifically argue that a possible world with an earlier Milky Way would be vastly different, but rather he argues that it does not affect our current worldview.

Question 7

Could you have come into existence earlier than you did? Can you go out of existence later than you will? What makes you the person that you are?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Could you have come into existence earlier...

Question 8

The deprivation account purports to show that death can be bad if it deprives; given that death is annihilation, might that be an independent reason to think that death could be bad?

Accepted Answer

The answer of The deprivation account purports to show that...

Question 9

In his great work, Ethics, the renowned 17^th Century philosopher Spinoza says that "A free man thinks of death least of all things, and his wisdom is a meditation of life, not of death." Part IV, Proposition 67. Is Spinoza right?

Accepted Answer

The answer of In his great work, Ethics, the renowned...

Deck 15: Coming Into and Going Out of Existence