Deck 3: The Beginning of Philosophy: the Ancient Greeks

Question 1

Milesian philosophers sought to explain reality in terms of spiritual and religious causes.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

According to Anaximander the Infinite came into being 6000 years ago in a cosmic explosion.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Anaximenes believed that the ultimate reality was air.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

As far as we know, none of the ancient Greek philosophers accepted women as equal to men.

Question 5

According to Pythagoras, numbers constitute the essence of reality.

Question 6

Pythagoras was led to his view of reality by his musical studies.

Question 7

Pythagoras believed that the business people who got rich by buying and selling were the highest class in society.

Question 8

Parmenides believed that the world was originally created out of nothing.

Question 9

Zeno defended Parmenides philosophy by means of paradoxes.

Question 10

Heracleitus believed that war is unnatural and conflict is unjust.

Question 11

The materialists believed that the only thing that is good is pleasure.

Question 12

Anaxagoras taught that in everything there is a portion of everything.

Question 13

The Greeks believed in a flat earth.

Question 14

According to Aristotle, philosophy begins with

A) doubt.
B) wonder.
C) religious questions.
D) despair.

Question 15

According to your text, the difference between ancient Greek philosophy and the outlook of other civilizations was that Greek philosophy

A) was based on religious traditions.
B) used intuition alone to reach its conclusions.
C) searched for the key to individual salvation.
D) sought knowledge for its own sake.

Question 16

According to Thales the ultimate explanation of all things was

A) water.
B) air.
C) fire.
D) numbers.

Question 17

Anaximander is noted for anticipating which modern scientific theory?

A) the theory of gravity
B) atomic theory
C) the theory of evolution
D) the germ theory of disease

Question 18

The first Greek philosopher to reject materialism and advocate a spiritual basis for reality was

A) Anaximander
B) Pythagoras.
C) Empedocles.
D) Anaximenes

Question 19

Xenophanes criticized the Homeric gods for being

A) idols compared to the biblical God.
B) too concerned with justice.
C) too immoral.
D) too distant and aloof.

Question 20

The philosopher who said that the body is the tomb of the soul was

A) Pythagoras.
B) Anaximander
C) Empedocles.
D) Democritus.

Question 21

"Reality is one, continuous, indivisible, motionless, and imperishable" describes the view of

A) Anaximander
B) Parmenides
C) Heracleitus
D) Anaxagoras

Question 22

Zeno rejected

A) our ability to have any knowledge at all.
B) our ability to know ultimate reality.
C) reason as an instrument of knowledge.
D) the notion that anything is divisible into its parts.

Question 23

Zeno's paradox concerning Achilles and the Tortoise was intended to show that

A) motion is an illusion.
B) humans are superior to animals.
C) everything is changing and nothing is permanent.
D) one opinion is as good as another.

Question 24

Heracleitus believed that

A) nothing can be known about reality.
B) change and motion are illusions.
C) reality is like a stream of fire in constant motion.
D) the only permanent things in the world are the basic atomic elements.

Question 25

According to Heracleitus, the logos is

A) the basic physical particle underlying things.
B) identical to the sum of ignorant, human opinions.
C) the principle of evil at work in the world.
D) the divine law of order and reason.

Question 26

Empedocles argued that the world was made up of the four basic elements of

A) water, earth, air, and fire.
B) vegetable matter, minerals, animal life, and the human soul.
C) heat, cold, dryness, and moisture.
D) light, darkness, order, and chaos.

Question 27

Empedocles taught that everything was affected by the two forces of

A) gravity and magnetism.
B) love and hate.
C) expansion and contraction.
D) the kingdoms of light and darkness.

Question 28

Democritus foreshadowed modern science with his theory

A) that everything was made up of atoms.
B) of evolution.
C) that germs or "small animals" caused disease.
D) that the universe as we know it began with a "big bang."

Question 29

According to Anaxagoras, Nous is

A) the cause of evil and suffering.
B) the only thing that is real.
C) a universal mind that controls everything.
D) identical to the human soul.

Question 30

Discuss the ideas of two or more Greek philosophers who viewed reality as basically material. Contrast their view with that of two or more philosophers who viewed reality as containing a nonphysical or spiritual component.

Question 31

For each of the following pairs of philosophers, briefly discuss one important idea of each of the philosophers in the (a) column and explain how this idea was (or could be) criticized by the corresponding philosopher in the (b) column.
(a) Thales $\quad$$\quad$$\quad$ (b) Anaximander
(a) Anaximenes $\quad$$\quad$ (b) Pythagoras
(a) Heracleitus $\quad$$\quad$ (b) Parmenides or Zeno

Question 32

Explain one of Zeno's paradoxes and the conclusion he thinks it proves.

Question 33

Each of the following philosophers believed that reality was made up of one or more material elements. Compare and contrast their views of the principle(s) governing how these elements either change, move, or are combined and separated: (a) Anaximander, (b) Anaximenes, (c) Empedocles, (d) Anaxagoras.