Deck 1: Introduction To The Philosophical Journey

Question 1

The Sophists were disciples of Socrates who were dedicated to spreading his teachings.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Skepticism is the belief that we cannot have knowledge.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

A philosophy can fail the criteria of rational coherence without being contradictory.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

According to Søren Kierkegaard,philosophy is the search for self-understanding.

Question 5

Socrates argued against the existence of the soul.

Question 6

The question "Are mental events really brain events?" is a metaphysical question.

Question 7

According to Plato,there is no truth about justice,for everyone has a different opinion about it.

Question 8

Epistemology concerns fundamental questions about the nature of reality.

Question 9

Plato referred to Socrates' method as "dialectic."

Question 10

Socrates was punished for his ideas by being forced to leave Athens and go into exile.

Question 11

One of the six criteria listed in the text for evaluating a philosophy is emotional satisfaction.

Question 12

The Apology by Plato is an account of Socrates' trial.

Question 13

Philosophy of religion is concerned with the religious beliefs of various cultures and how they serve social needs.

Question 14

In his discussion with Socrates,Thrasymachus claims that justice is the interest of the stronger.

Question 15

In Plato's Allegory of the Cave,the prisoners were glad when their friend told them about the world outside the cave.

Question 16

Logic is the study of the psychological causes of our beliefs.

Question 17

"All opinions are false" is an example of a self-referential inconsistency.

Question 18

According to your text,fundamental beliefs are those convictions that cannot be rationally justified.

Question 19

An inference to the best explanation attempts to directly prove the truth of a theory.

Question 20

Plato believed that there were levels of reality that transcended the world of sense experience.

Question 21

Socrates believed he was wiser than anyone else in Athens because he

A) had found the ultimate truth,using the Socratic method.
B) knew he was ignorant.
C) did not believe in any god.
D) realized that all opinions are equally true.

Question 22

Socrates undermines Thrasymachus's definition of justice by

A) showing that it leads to a contradiction.
B) arguing that most people would be unlikely to accept it.
C) demonstrating that it would violate the laws of Athens.
D) arguing that adopting it would lead to social instability.

Question 23

The Socratic method consisted of

A) drawing philosophical conclusions from scientific observations.
B) lecturing to people on the basic principles for successful living.
C) surveying public opinion and embracing the collective wisdom of the majority.
D) asking questions of people and then questioning their answers.

Question 24

If an argument is strong,the premises make the conclusion highly probable.

Question 25

A valid argument with all true premises is called

A) a strong argument.
B) a cogent argument.
C) an inductive argument.
D) a sound argument.

Question 26

The criterion of "compatibility" evaluates a philosophy in terms of its compatibility with

A) the answers of other philosophers.
B) well-established facts and theories.
C) a vision of life that is emotionally satisfying.
D) the laws of logic.

Question 27

Socrates was brought to trial on the charges of

A) calling for a revolution and refusing to pay taxes.
B) being a pacifist and refusing to go to war.
C) being an atheist and an ethical relativist.
D) corrupting the youth and teaching about false gods.

Question 28

The term "philosophy" literally means

A) the search for knowledge.
B) the love of wisdom.
C) deep questions.
D) the search for meaning.

Question 29

It is possible for a valid argument to have false premises and a false conclusion.

Question 30

It is possible for an invalid argument to have true premises and a true conclusion.

Question 31

Socrates maintained that a good person cannot be harmed by others because

A) the gods will protect the good person.
B) others will respect and honor a person who is truly good.
C) society will come to the defense of someone who is good.
D) evil people can harm the body,but not a person's true self.

Question 32

Which of the following is a characteristic of a valid argument?

A) All the premises must be true.
B) The conclusion must be true.
C) If the premises are true,the conclusion must be true.
D) all of the above

Question 33

Socrates referred to himself as

A) a mirror that reflects the truths in nature.
B) the housekeeper of the mind.
C) the midwife of ideas.
D) an artist that creates pictures with ideas.

Question 34

In philosophy,an argument is defined as "a contentious dispute."

Question 35

In his trial,Socrates referred to himself as

A) a rudder that keeps the people of Athens on course.
B) a gadfly that continually harasses people to wake them from their apathy.
C) a compass that shows people the direction they should take.
D) a coach that trains people on how to use their intellectual muscles.

Question 36

In discussing "inference to the best explanation," the text pointed out that

A) philosophy makes use of this method,but science does not.
B) science makes use of this method,but philosophy does not.
C) both science and philosophy make use of this method.
D) religion makes use of this method,but science and philosophy do not.

Question 37

Expressing two assertions that could not both be true under any possible circumstances is known as

A) a logical inconsistency.
B) a self-referential inconsistency.
C) the false dichotomy fallacy.
D) the fallacy of affirming the consequent.

Question 38

A central teaching of the Sophists was

A) the importance of caring for one's own soul.
B) it is better to be morally good than successful by society's standards.
C) skepticism concerning our ability to know what is true or good.
D) the impossibility of finding happiness.

Question 39

Three of the six criteria the book discussed for evaluating philosophical claims are

A) cultural consensus,convincingness,clarity.
B) clarity,consistency,comprehensiveness.
C) centrality,comprehensiveness,cultural consensus.
D) compatibility,conviction,centrality.

Question 40

In Plato's Allegory of the Cave,the shadows represented

A) our doubts and lack of confidence in our own worth.
B) the fact that truth is elusive and cannot be found.
C) the gods.
D) imperfect and confused representations of a higher reality.

Question 41

In a cogent argument,the premises are ________ and the conclusion is ________.

A) true/necessarily true
B) true/probably true
C) valid/valid
D) valid/sound

Question 42

Who were the Sophists? What was their philosophy? Why did Socrates disagree with them?

Question 43

Suppose a friend asked,"Why are you studying philosophy? It is an abstract,totally impractical,and useless subject." What sort of reply could you make in defense of philosophy?

Question 44

Explain some of Plato's philosophical beliefs as illustrated by the Allegory of the Cave.

Question 45

Explain the Socratic method.What are the various stages of this method? Next,discuss Socrates' conversation with Thrasymachus.What was the issue they were debating? How did Socrates get Thrasymachus to realize that there were problems with his initial position? How did this conversation illustrate Socrates' method?

Question 46

Explain what Socrates meant when he said,"A good person cannot be harmed by others." Argue for or against this thesis.

Question 47

Explain the difference between a deductive argument that is valid and an inductive argument that is strong.Give examples of each.Was your example of a deductive valid argument sound or not? Explain.Was your example of an inductively strong argument cogent or not? Explain.

Question 48

Briefly explain the points the text made under the following headings: philosophy and aerobics,philosophy and love,philosophy and peanut butter,philosophy and colds.

Question 49

Why did Socrates call himself the "midwife of ideas"? Why did he refer to himself as a "gadfly"? What does each figure of speech tell us about how he viewed philosophy and his mission?

Question 50

What does it mean to say that an argument is "valid"? If an argument is valid,does that always mean that the premises are true? If the premises of an argument are true,does that always indicate that the argument is valid? Why is it that sound arguments will always have true premises,but that arguments with true premises are not necessarily sound?

Question 51

In a sound argument,the conclusion is

A) necessarily true.
B) probably true.
C) valid.
D) strong.

Question 52

What does "inference to the best explanation" mean? What does such an inference seek to accomplish? According to your text,how are science and philosophy similar in their use of this method?