Deck 3: Knowledge and Truth

Question 1

Descartes ends Meditation I on a note of extreme skepticism.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

In Meditation II, Descartes describes himself as a body without a soul.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Locke claims that all knowledge is derived from reason.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Locke believes that our idea of extension corresponds to something existing in the external world.

Question 5

Berkeley claims that all knowledge comes from experience.

Question 6

Berkeley says that our knowledge of physical objects is derived from the senses.

Question 7

Peirce claims that the main purpose of thinking is to eliminate doubt.

Question 8

Peirce can be correctly classified as a rationalist.

Question 9

James criticizes Dewey for being too dogmatic.

Question 10

According to James, to say that a belief is true is the same as saying that it is expedient.

Question 11

Vasconcelos argues that reasons and analytical judgments have no value for human life.

Question 12

According to Vasconcelos, the goal of philosophy is to combine all forms of knowledge.

Question 13

Jaspers claims that there are five modes of being human.

Question 14

According to Jasper's one's authentic self can never become one's possession.

Question 15

Benally argues that knowledge has nothing to do with spirituality.

Question 16

According to Benally, the essence of Navajo philosophy is holism.

Question 17

According to Valadez, questions of epistemology are not purely theoretical questions.

Question 18

Valadez believes that embracing the multicultural perspective will solve all of the world's problems.

Question 19

The Buddha achieved Nirvana by studying the traditional Hindu teachings.

Question 20

The Buddha warns his followers to avoid metaphysical speculations.

Question 21

The ancient Chinese philosopher Chuang-tzu was a follower of Confucius.

Question 22

At one point, Chuang-tzu claims that his life is only a dream.

Question 23

Emerson claims that nature is constantly changing.

Question 24

Although Emerson is a skeptic about the possibility of knowledge, he does believe that there are absolute moral values.

Question 25

According to Hume, relations of ideas are certain.

Question 26

Hume argues that our knowledge of cause and effect is derived from demonstrative reasoning.

Question 27

Like Hume, Ayer argues that we are never justified in accepting empirical statements.

Question 28

Ayer suggests that many metaphysical statements result from linguistic confusion.

Question 29

Anderson says that feminist epistemology totally rules out the possibility of objective knowledge.

Question 30

According to Anderson, not all theorists believe that men and women have different cognitive styles.

Question 31

The indubitable truth that Descartes discovers in Meditation II is

A) that a square has four sides.
B) the necessity of his own existence.
C) the necessity of God's existence.
D) that he is dreaming.

Question 32

Descartes introduces the wax example to show

A) that his senses are infallible.
B) that wax melts when it is heated.
C) the importance of the imagination.
D) the importance of rational intuition.

Question 33

Locke is best classified as a(n)

A) empiricist.
B) rationalist.
C) pragmatist.
D) positivist.

Question 34

According to Locke, primary qualities may be called

A) secondary qualities.
B) sensory qualities.
C) real qualities.
D) modal qualities.

Question 35

Which of the following statements does not accurately describe Berkeley's position?

A) I am only an idea in the mind of God.
B) The existence of an idea consists in its being perceived.
C) Material substance does not exist.
D) Laws of nature are explanations of the patterns of God's thinking.

Question 36

One of Locke's beliefs that Berkeley rejects is

A) Locke's belief in God.
B) Locke's distinction between primary and secondary qualities.
C) Locke's claim that reason is the source of all knowledge.
D) Locke's distinction between simple and compound ideas.

Question 37

Peirce can be best classified as a(n)

A) empiricist.
B) rationalist.
C) pragmatist.
D) positivist.

Question 38

According to Peirce, the most effective method for resolving doubt is the

A) method of science.
B) a priori method.
C) method of authority.
D) method of tenacity.

Question 39

The theory of truth that James criticizes is traditionally known as the

A) correspondence theory of truth.
B) analytic theory of truth.
C) pragmatic theory of truth.
D) cognitive theory of truth.

Question 40

The term that James uses for the process through which an idea becomes true is

A) "invalidation."
B) "certification."
C) "verification."
D) "solidification."

Question 41

Vasconcelos criticizes traditional Western philosophy for

A) placing too much emphasis on aesthetic judgments.
B) taking thought to be synonymous with knowledge.
C) denying the value of logical analysis.
D) being overly skeptical about the possibility of knowledge.

Question 42

Vasconcelos claims that art

A) is purely emotional.
B) is best when it is conceptual.
C) has its own logic.
D) is more important than logic.

Question 43

The term that Jaspers uses for the fourth and most comprehensive mode of being human is

A) Dasein.
B) Existenz.
C) Transcendence.
D) Will to Power.

Question 44

Jaspers is best categorized as a(n)

A) existentialist.
B) empiricist.
C) pragmatist.
D) rationalist.

Question 45

The Navajo term for the Beauty Way of Life is

A) wakan.
B) benally.
C) sihasin.
D) hozho.

Question 46

Benally claims that each type of knowledge is associated with

A) one of the modes of being human.
B) one of the sacred animals.
C) one of the parts of the day.
D) one of the seasons of the year.

Question 47

Valadez begins his essay by describing the plight of a person living in

A) Guatemala.
B) Cuba.
C) Colombia.
D) El Salvador.

Question 48

Valadez criticizes U.S. foreign policy for being grounded in

A) capitalist economics.
B) democratic pluralism.
C) the logic of oppression.
D) metaphysical imperialism.

Question 49

According to the Buddha, the poison that is killing us is

A) tanha.
B) hozho.
C) nirvana.
D) nipata.

Question 50

In the Buddhist parable in the book, the man who was shot with the poisoned arrow died because

A) there was no antidote for the poison.
B) the type of arrow used could not be removed.
C) he asked too many questions.
D) he played his sitar instead of seeking help.

Question 51

Chuang-tzu compares the disputes between philosophers to

A) the different sounds that a drum makes.
B) the different sounds that the wind makes.
C) the endless waves of an ocean.
D) the cries of different animals.

Question 52

One night Chuang-tzu dreamed that he was a

A) butterfly.
B) mulberry bush.
C) fish.
D) bird.

Question 53

Emerson says that the universe may be conceived as

A) a wind that never stops blowing.
B) a series of pyramids.
C) a dream in the mind of God.
D) a system of concentric circles.

Question 54

Which of the following statements was not found in Emerson's essay in the text?

A) One man's justice is another's injustice.
B) One man's wealth is another's poverty.
C) One man's beauty is another's ugliness.
D) One man's wisdom is another's folly.

Question 55

According to Hume's classification, which of the following does not state a matter of fact?

A) Fire burns.
B) Bread is nourishing.
C) A square has four sides.
D) Dogs bark.

Question 56

When Hume tries to theoretically justify matter of fact claims, he ends with

A) a vicious circle.
B) the fact of his own existence.
C) demonstrative reasoning.
D) an appeal to authority.

Question 57

Ayer's derogative term for metaphysical statements is

A) tautologies.
B) ghostly statements.
C) pseudo-propositions.
D) falsifications.

Question 58

The metaphysical statement about the Absolute that Ayer analyzes is taken from

A) Hegel.
B) Bradley.
C) Emerson.
D) Hume.

Question 59

According to Anderson, one's gender is

A) biologically determined.
B) the same thing as one's sex.
C) largely determinant of one's IQ.
D) a mode of social situation.

Question 60

The term that Anderson uses to designate someone who embraces an identity that includes both feminine and masculine roles, norms, and traits is

A) androcentric.
B) misogynistic.
C) endomatic.
D) hermaphroditic.

Question 61

Carefully explain two of the arguments that Descartes uses to undermine the reliability of sense experience, and two of the arguments that he uses to undermine the reliability of mathematical reasoning. What is Descartes' ultimate purpose in formulating these arguments?

Question 62

Describe the method that Descartes uses to discover his first indubitable truth in the Meditations. What is the first truth that he discovers?

Question 63

Carefully explain the fundamental differences between rationalism and empiricism. Name one philosopher who was a rationalist and one philosopher who was an empiricist.

Question 64

Explain carefully Locke's distinction between primary and secondary qualities. What are Berkeley's principal reasons for rejecting this distinction?

Question 65

Compare and contrast Berkeley's views on the nature of knowledge with Descartes' views. Which of their positions seems most reasonable to you? Explain your answer.

Question 66

What are Berkeley's principal reasons for denying the existence of physical objects? How does he explain the continued existence of perceptions without appealing to the existence of physical objects? Do you find his reasoning convincing? Why or why not?

Question 67

Carefully explain what Peirce says about believing, doubting, and the purpose of inquiry. How do Peirce's views on the purpose of inquiry differ from Descartes' views on the purpose of thinking?

Question 68

List and carefully describe the four methods of resolving doubt that are discussed by Peirce. Which of these methods does he believe to be the most effective in overcoming doubt? What advantages does this method have over the others?

Question 69

Compare and contrast the pragmatic theory of truth with the intellectualist (or correspondence) theory of truth. Which of these theories of truth does James defend, and what are his basic reasons for doing so?

Question 70

Carefully explain James' account of how an idea becomes true. Under what circumstances might an idea that has become true later become false? Do you believe that James' views on truth are correct? Why or why not?

Question 71

Compare and contrast Vasconcelos' views on the nature of knowledge and truth with the views of James. Which of their views comes closer to your own views about the nature of knowledge and truth? Explain your answer.

Question 72

Carefully explain Vasconcelos' views on the nature and significance of art and aesthetic judgments. What can aesthetic judgments reveal to us that analytical judgments cannot?

Question 73

Identify and carefully explain the four modes of being human that Jaspers describes. What is the meaning or theory of truth that relates to each mode?

Question 74

Explain as clearly as you can what Jaspers means by authentic selfhood. How, according to Jaspers, can one become authentic? Would you describe yourself as authentic? Why or why not?

Question 75

Identify and carefully describe the four types of knowledge that are discussed by Benally. What, according to Benally, is the ultimate purpose of human existence?

Question 76

Compare and contrast Benally's views on the nature of knowledge and truth with the views of Jaspers. Which of their views is closer to your own views? Explain your answer.

Question 77

Explain carefully what Valadez means by metaphysical imperialism. How, according to Valadez, does metaphysical imperialism lead to political oppression?

Question 78

What exactly does Valadez mean by a multicultural perspective? Why does he believe that it is important to adopt such a perspective? Do you agree with him on this point? Why or why not?

Question 79

Describe the events that take place in "The Parable of the Arrow." What circumstances lead the Buddha to tell this parable? What point is he trying to make?

Question 80

Carefully explain the Buddha's main reasons for questioning the possibility and importance of theoretical knowledge. Do you agree with the Buddha's reasoning? Why or why not?