Deck 2: The Early Greek Philosophers

Question 1

The first philosopher was:

A)Heraclitus
B)Anaximander
C)Thales
D)Democritus

Answer 1

Thales

Question 2

According to the author of your text,magic,religion,philosophy,and science can all be viewed as efforts to:

A)satisfy irrational desires
B)exploit other human beings
C)predict and control nature
D)deal with the supernatural

Answer 2

predict and control nature

Question 3

Who was the first to emphasize natural explanations and to minimize supernatural explanations?

A)Heraclitus
B)Anaximander
C)Thales
D)Democritus

Answer 3

Thales

Question 4

____ proposed an infinite number of elements from which everything comes from called seeds.

A)Democritus
B)Empedocles
C)Anaxagoras
D)Anaximander

Question 5

What important epistemological question was raised by Heraclitus' philosophy?

A)What does it mean to be me?
B)How can something be known if it is constantly changing?
C)Why would a man want to step into the same river more than once?
D)What constitutes the good life?

Question 6

According to the Pythagoreans,perfection is found:

A)only in the empirical world of mathematical relationships
B)only in the abstract mathematical world and understood only by reason
C)in both the empirical and abstract worlds of mathematics
D)in neither the empirical nor the abstract worlds

Question 7

Viewing all of nature as though it were alive is called:

A)anthropomorphism
B)animism
C)primitivism
D)mysticism

Question 8

Because Democritus attempted to explain events occurring in one domain (observable phenomena)in terms of events occurring in another domain (the arrangements of atoms),he was a(n):

A)elementist
B)reductionist
C)physicist
D)Orphist

Question 9

Which of the following was not believed by the Pythagoreans?

A)illness resulted from a disruption of the harmonious blending of bodily elements
B)numbers and numerical relationships were real and exerted an influence on the empirical world
C)nothing in the empirical world is perfect
D)when the body dies so does the soul

Question 10

The Olympian gods emphasized:

A)a belief in the transmigration of the soul
B)orderliness,rationality,and intelligence
C)dramatic ceremonies
D)the legend of Dionysus

Question 11

Which aspect of Empedocles' philosophy could be used to explain the types of intrapersonal and extrapersonal conflicts described later in history by Freud?

A)the transmigration of the soul
B)the forces of love and strife that wax and wane within us
C)the elements of earth,fire,air,and water
D)the clashes of atoms

Question 12

Zeno's paradox was offered as proof for ____ philosophy.

A)Heraclitus'
B)Pythagoras'
C)Parmenides'
D)Empedocles'

Question 13

Projecting human attributes onto nature is called:

A)anthropomorphism
B)animism
C)primitivism
D)vitalism

Question 14

Empedocles assumed that perception resulted when:

A)vibrations from external objects stimulated sense receptors
B)sensory information was analyzed by the brain
C)eidola entered the pores of the body and mixed with elements found in the blood
D)sensations interacted with memories of prior experiences

Question 15

Parmenides believed that knowledge is attained only through rational thought because sensory experience provides:

A)additional information
B)illusion
C)logic
D)the only true reality

Question 16

Anaximander proposed a rudimentary theory of evolution,which included ____ and humans.

A)lower animals
B)apes
C)God-like beings
D)fish

Question 17

The contention that if X starts in motion before Y,Y can never overtake X no matter how fast Y appears to be moving is known as:

A)the relativity of truth
B)philosophical inconsistency
C)a Kuhnian paradigm clash
D)Zeno's paradox

Question 18

Empedocles suggested that everything in the world,including humans,was made of:

A)fire
B)matter and spirit
C)atoms
D)earth,fire,air and water

Question 19

All of the following was true of the Pythagoreans except:

A)they believed that experiences of the flesh were superior to those of the mind
B)they encouraged women to join their organization
C)they urged the humane treatment of slaves and animals
D)they believed in the transmigration of the soul

Question 20

The early Greeks referred to a substance from which everything else is derived as a(n):

A)spirit
B)atom
C)universal
D)physis

Question 21

The Hippocrates believed that physical illness was caused by:

A)possession by evil spirits
B)a life characterized by too much pleasure
C)an imbalance of the four bodily humors
D)the patient's desire to be ill

Question 22

The "cures" proposed by Hippocrates included:

A)fervent prayer and supplication to the Gods
B)drinking fluids specially prepared by the physician
C)rest,proper diet,exercise,fresh air,massage,and baths
D)putting their essence in connection with the essence of the Gods

Question 23

Democritus believed all of the following except:

A)thinking took place in the brain
B)the body had five sensory systems
C)there was no life after death
D)the soul survived the death of the body

Question 24

The allegory of the cave demonstrates:

A)how difficult it is to deliver humans from ignorance
B)that truth is relative
C)that most humans have a passionate desire to know the truth
D)that learning is remembering

Question 25

Socrates used the method of ____ to determine what all examples of a concept such as beauty had in common.

A)Sophistry
B)inductive definition
C)introspection
D)logical deduction

Question 26

Protagorus,the best known Sophist,presented the Sophist's position.Which of the following is not representative of the position?

A)truth depends on the perceiver,not on physical reality
B)perceptions vary from person to person because previous experiences of individuals affect their perceptions
C)what is truth is not affected by the culture one lives in
D)to understand why a person believes as he or she does,one must understand the person

Question 27

Because Gorgias believed that there is no objective way of establishing truth,he was a:

A)solipsist
B)Socratic
C)nihilist
D)reductionist

Question 28

The Hippocratics believed all of the following except:

A)the body had the ability to heal itself
B)charging a patient a substantial fee gave him or her an incentive to recover more quickly
C)each patient should be treated as a whole,unique person
D)all diseases had natural causes

Question 29

For Plato,all knowledge was:

A)personal opinion
B)innate
C)derived from sensory experience
D)culturally determined

Question 30

According to Plato,the components of the soul were:

A)really the same
B)typically in harmony with one another
C)often in conflict with one another
D)subservient to the bodily needs

Question 31

According to Plato:

A)reality was essentially as Heraclitus had describe it
B)true knowledge could be attained only through empirical observation
C)nothing in the empirical world was perfect or knowable
D)mathematical knowledge was inferior to empirical knowledge

Question 32

Xenophanes believed that:

A)religious and moral "truths" were innate
B)if animals could convey their impression of gods,those gods would have animal characteristics
C)using the techniques of inductive definition,objective truth could be ascertained
D)the only way to arrive at truth was to introspect on the contents of the soul

Question 33

The early physician,Alcmaeon,proposed:

A)that health resulted from a balance of qualities in the body
B)the physician's job was to help the patient regain equilibrium
C)that sensation,memory,thinking,and understanding occurred in the brain
D)all of these choices

Question 34

Gorgias believed all of the following except:

A)if animals could describe their gods,those gods would have animal characteristics
B)there is no objective way of determining truth
C)each person can be aware only of his or her own private perceptions
D)all things are equally false

Question 35

According to the Sophists,what is it that determines if an idea is accepted?

A)the truthfulness of the idea
B)how effectively the idea is communicated
C)the scientific evidence offered to support the idea
D)the idea's usefulness

Question 36

According to Plato,whether one is a philosopher-king,a soldier,or a slave,is largely determined by:

A)personal effort
B)educational experience
C)the social influence of one's parents
D)biological inheritance

Question 37

For Socrates,essences were:

A)impossible to determine
B)verbal definitions
C)transcendental truths
D)unimportant

Question 38

According to Plato,direct examination of the empirical world via sensory experience resulted in:

A)ignorance or,at best,opinion
B)wisdom
C)knowledge
D)mental illness

Question 39

According to the Hippocrates,physicians assign supernatural causes to a disease in order to:

A)charge larger fees for their services
B)make the disease more comprehensible to their patient
C)mask their ignorance concerning the nature of the disease
D)cure the disease more effectively

Question 40

For Democritus,perception occurred when atoms emanating from the surface of objects entered the ____ and were transmitted to the ____.

A)pores of the body;heart
B)sensory systems of the body;brain
C)pores of the body;liver
D)sensory systems of the body;heart

Question 41

The particular form or pattern of an object is its ____ cause.

A)material
B)formal
C)efficient
D)final

Question 42

According to Aristotle,we perceive environmental objects because:

A)tiny copies of them enter the pores of the body
B)their movement influences a medium,which in turn stimulates one or more of the five senses
C)their eidola go through one or more of the five senses and then to the heart
D)their eidola go through one or more of the five sense and then to the brain

Question 43

For Aristotle,the greatest happiness came from:

A)satisfying biological appetites
B)thinking rationally
C)selectively perceiving
D)acting impulsively

Question 44

According to Aristotle,____ was a spontaneous recollection of something that had been previously experienced and ____ involves an actual mental search for a past experience.

A)recall;remembering
B)remembering;recall
C)reminiscence;association
D)association;remembering

Question 45

For Aristotle,sensory experience:

A)was the only thing necessary for attaining knowledge
B)was unnecessary for attaining knowledge
C)was necessary but not sufficient for attaining knowledge
D)inhibited the attainment of knowledge

Question 46

Plato believed that the ideal society would be governed by:

A)God
B)common people
C)philosopher-kings
D)soldiers

Question 47

Plato's philosophy ____ the development of science.

A)enhanced
B)inhibited
C)caused
D)prevented

Question 48

The purpose for which an object exists is its ____ cause.

A)material
B)formal
C)efficient
D)final

Question 49

The force that transforms matter into a particular form is its ____ cause.

A)material
B)formal
C)efficient
D)final

Question 50

What aspect of Aristotle's philosophy became the cornerstone of most modern theories of learning?

A)the reminiscence theory of knowledge
B)the laws of association
C)the notion of common sense
D)the assumption that the souls of the living organisms are arranged in a hierarchy

Question 51

According to Aristotle,the unmoved mover:

A)was God
B)was nature
C)set nature in motion and did little else
D)is the same thing as the form of good

Question 52

Because Aristotle assumed that everything in nature exists for a purpose,his theory is labeled:

A)religious
B)empirical
C)teleological
D)nativistic

Question 53

The law of ____ states that if we think of something,we will also tend to recall the things we experienced along with it.

A)similarity
B)frequency
C)contrast
D)contiguity

Question 54

Which of the following was true of Aristotle's philosophy?

A)it followed in the Pythagorean rather than in the Hippocratic tradition
B)it assumed that knowledge could be attained only by studying nature directly
C)it assumed that the body was a hindrance in the search for knowledge
D)it assumed that gaining knowledge was a matter of remembering the contents of the soul

Question 55

According to Aristotle,____ possess a soul.

A)only humans
B)only humans and animals
C)all living things
D)living as well as nonliving things

Question 56

According to Aristotle,the ____kept an object moving or developing in its prescribed direction until its full potential was reached.

A)entelechy
B)instincts
C)form of the good
D)rational mind

Question 57

According to Aristotle,the ultimate goal of humans was to:

A)reproduce
B)exercise common sense
C)engage in active reasoning
D)embrace the form of good

Question 58

According to Aristotle,____ was explained as the lingering effects of sensory experience.

A)common sense
B)imagination
C)scala naturae
D)entelechy

Question 59

According to Plato,the supreme goal in life should be to:

A)give all components of the soul equal expression
B)return to the world beyond the world
C)be courageous in the face of danger
D)free the soul as much as possible from the adulterations of the flesh

Question 60

Aristotle postulated ____ as the mechanism that coordinated information from the five senses.

A)the mind
B)the soul
C)the entelechy
D)common sense

Question 61

Compare and contrast Plato's and Aristotle's views of acquisition of knowledge.

Question 62

Socrates used the method sometimes called inductive definition.

Question 63

For Aristotle,the essence of an object could be known by experiencing individual manifestations of the object.

Question 64

Aristotle's philosophy included the concept of teleology,the idea that everything in nature has a purpose.

Question 65

Empedocles proposed that the world was made of 4 elements - earth,fire,air,and water.

Question 66

For Plato,objects in the world are inferior manifestations of the pure forms.

Question 67

For Plato,knowledge was innate and can be attained only through introspection.

Question 68

Alcmaeon,like Aristotle,proposed that mental processes occurred in the heart.

Question 69

For Heraclitus,the important aspect about nature is that it is in a constant state of change.

Question 70

Of the two major Greek theologies,the Olympian religion was favored by the large class of peasants,laborers,and soldiers.

Question 71

The Sophists,professional teachers of rhetoric and logic,believed that there was one truth,which was knowable through introspection.

Question 72

The Pythagoreans believed that we can gain true knowledge through sensory experience.

Question 73

Describe Democritus's view of the universe.Why is his description of the universe described as exemplifying determinism,elementism,and reductionism?

Question 74

Discuss Aristotle's description of remembering and recall,include the laws of association.

Question 75

Describe Socrates' method of inductive definition as a way of gaining knowledge.

Question 76

Democritus stated that all things are made of atoms.

Question 77

Plato's allegory of the cave was a narrative way to describe his theory of a universe composed of tiny particles called atoms.

Question 78

Happiness,for Aristotle,was the satisfaction of biological drives.

Question 79

Early attempts of humans to explain natural events involved viewing natural phenomena as being alive,called animism,and projecting human attributes onto natural events and nonhuman animals,called anthropomorphism.

Question 80

Contrast the views of nature and the universe of Heraclitus and Parminedes.