Deck 2: Theory of Knowledge

Question 1

The heart of the "epistemological turn" was:

A) Descartes' method of inquiry.
B) making questions of epistemology logically prior to questions of metaphysics.
C) realizing that questions of being take precedence over questions of knowing.
D) Leibniz's criteria of truth and certainty.
E) Cartesian doubt.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Descartes' method of inquiry tells us to:

A) make the standard of proof absolute certainty.
B) adopt the point of view of someone who knows something and is trying to explain it.
C) adopt the point of view of someone who is ignorant but is trying to learn.
D) deal with questions of being before questions of knowing.
E) doubt everything except truths of arithmetic and logic.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

A proposition that should not be doubted, according to Descartes, is one that:

A) is more likely to be true than false.
B) has never turned out to be wrong in the past.
C) everyone agrees is true.
D) doesn't contradict anything we already know.
E) is absolutely 100% certain.

Answer 3

E

Question 4

"We should stipulate nothing," is a good paraphrase of:

A) the epistemological turn.
B) epistemological skepticism.
C) Descartes' method of inquiry
D) Descartes' method of doubt.
E) the Law of the Excluded Middle.

Question 5

In the author's view, since the beginning of the 17th century, the most important field of philosophy has been the study of:

A) human nature.
B) cosmology.
C) psychology.
D) epistemology
E) logic and reasoning.

Question 6

Descartes' most important contribution to philosophy was his:

A) analysis of dreams.
B) rejection of received opinion.
C) work in analytic geometry.
D) method of examining problems.
E) ability to make daring inferences.

Question 7

The epistemological thought of the 17th century has influenced:

A) poetry.
B) art.
C) economic views.
D) Both A and B
E) All of the above

Question 8

Descartes' method of doubt tells us to:

A) doubt everything except truths of arithmetic and logic.
B) accept nothing that is not beyond a reasonable doubt.
C) accept only those beliefs that don't contradict what we already know.
D) accept only those beliefs that can be deduced from things we already know.
E) accept only what can be known with absolute certainty.

Question 9

Descartes starts the application of his method of doubt by:

A) making an inventory of all his beliefs.
B) positing the existence of an "evil genius."
C) considering the certainty of each of his beliefs, one by one.
D) attacking the foundations of all of his current beliefs.
E) inferring his existence as a thinking thing.

Question 10

Descartes' method is:

A) both a method of doubt and a method of inquiry.
B) a method of discovery.
C) both a method of discovery and a method of verification.
D) a way of setting forth one's knowledge in a systematic way.
E) a way to prove with certainty things one already knows.

Question 11

The "epistemological turn" began with:

A) Plato, and ended with Descartes.
B) Descartes, and ended with Leibniz.
C) Descartes, and ended with Kant.
D) Kant, and is still continuing.
E) Descartes, and is still continuing.

Question 12

Which of the following was not one of Descartes' rules for conducting an inquiry?

A) Difficult problems should be divided into as many parts as possible.
B) Review your reasoning to make sure nothing has been omitted.
C) Reasoning should proceed from simple concepts to complicated ones.
D) Ensure that your subject is a philosophical or mathematical matter, rather than a religious or poetic one.
E) Accept nothing as true that you do not clearly recognize as being so.

Question 13

In his Meditations, Descartes says that the motivation for his project was a desire to:

A) share his large store of knowledge with posterity.
B) rid himself of his many false beliefs.
C) set the sciences on a firm foundation.
D) Both A and C
E) Both B and C

Question 14

Descartes raises the possibility of the existence of an "evil genius" in order to demonstrate that:

A) a non-deceiving God exists.
B) he might be deceived even when he reasons that 2+3=5, or that a square has four sides.
C) he can infer his existence from the fact that he is thinking.
D) not every "genius" is morally good.
E) beliefs obtained from the senses are uncertain.

Question 15

The basic indubitable truth upon which Descartes sought to found all his knowledge was that:

A) he, himself, exists.
B) an all-powerful God exists.
C) mathematical truths cannot be doubted.
D) the facts of experience cannot be doubted.
E) the senses do not lie.

Question 16

Descartes argues that he might be dreaming without being aware of it in order to demonstrate that:

A) he cannot be sure of his sanity.
B) he might be deceived by an "evil genius."
C) even the clearest sense perceptions may be false.
D) even the simplest arithmetic calculations, such as that 2+3=5, might be wrong.
E) even the simplest logical inferences might be invalid.

Question 17

Epistemological skepticism is the view that:

A) what's true for you may not be true for someone else.
B) the "epistemological turn" was a mistake.
C) we should study what we know, not how we know.
D) we can never adequately justify any of our beliefs.
E) we can never know more than basic facts, such as that the physical world exists.

Question 18

According to Descartes, which of the following is beyond doubt?

A) God exists.
B) 2 + 3 = 5.
C) Washington, D.C. is the capital of the U.S.
D) I am awake, and not just dreaming.
E) None of the above

Question 19

The book whose publication marks the beginning of modern philosophy is:

A) The Epistemological Turn.
B) Meditations on First Philosophy.
C) The Method of Doubt.
D) Critique of Pure Reason.
E) The Monadology.

Question 20

The philosopher usually cited as the originator of the new theory of knowledge is:

A) Hume.
B) Kant.
C) Descartes
D) Leibniz.
E) Rousseau.

Question 21

According to the Law of Contradiction:

A) either a statement or its contradictory must be true.
B) a statement and its contradictory might both be true.
C) a statement and its contradictory can't both be true.
D) either a statement or its contradictory must be false.
E) All of the above.

Question 22

According to the Law of the Excluded Middle:

A) either a statement or its contradictory must be true.
B) a statement and its contradictory might both be true.
C) a statement and its contradictory can't both be true.
D) either a statement or its contradictory must be false.
E) All of the above

Question 23

The criteria of truth offered by Descartes in the second Meditation are:

A) certainty and reliability.
B) clearness and distinctness.
C) skepticism and solipsism.
D) rationalism and empiricism.
E) reason and sense perception.

Question 24

Leibniz divides truths into two types:

A) truths of reason and truths of contradiction.
B) truths of reason and truths of fact.
C) truths of knowledge and truths of belief.
D) truths of fact and truths of belief.
E) None of the above

Question 25

Solipsism is an extreme form of:

A) epistemological skepticism.
B) epistemological relativism.
C) rationalism.
D) empiricism.
E) None of the above

Question 26

According to rationalists:

A) God does not exist.
B) the Cogito Argument was unsound.
C) knowledge can never be certain.
D) logic is the model for all true knowledge.
E) all knowledge is based on sense perceptions.

Question 27

The first indubitable truth Descartes discovers in the Meditations is that:

A) he exists, though he's not sure what he is.
B) he exists, and is identical with his body.
C) an all-powerful God exists.
D) it's false that 2+3=5.
E) an evil, deceiving "genius" exists.

Question 28

Leibniz says the sufficient reason for the world is:

A) God.
B) the laws of logic.
C) a necessary substance.
D) a contingent substance.
E) Both A and C

Question 29

Which of the following are empiricists?

A) David Hume
B) René Descartes
C)C. G.W. Leibniz
D) Both A and C
E) None of the above

Question 30

The Cogito Argument proves to Descartes that:

A) he and all other people exist, though we don't know exactly what they are.
B) he exists, and is identical with his body.
C) his soul exists.
D) a non-deceiving God exists.
E) None of the above

Question 31

The contradictory of "Parmita is a vegetarian" is:

A) "Parmita always eats meat."
B) "Parmita sometimes eat meat."
C) "Parmita isn't a vegetarian."
D) "Parmita wasn't always a vegetarian."
E) All of the above

Question 32

The purpose of Descartes' "thought experiment" with the lump of wax was to show that:

A) the senses, in fact, do not lie.
B) the evidence of the senses sometimes agrees with the insights of reason.
C) the wax has no permanent properties.
D) the wax has infinite properties.
E) knowledge must be founded on reason rather than sense perception.

Question 33

In place of the psychological tests of certainty used by Descartes, Leibniz used:

A) emotional criteria.
B) logical criteria.
C) mathematical criteria.
D) empiricist criteria.
E) None of the above

Question 34

Solipsism is the belief that:

A) nothing exists.
B) no belief can ever be adequately justified.
C) I exist, but nothing else can be proven to exist.
D) beliefs gained through the senses cannot be justified.
E) None of the above

Question 35

Which of the following are rationalists?

A) David Hume
B) G.W. Leibniz
C) René Descartes
D) Both B and C
E) All of the above

Question 36

Leibniz calls truths that cannot be justified by the laws of logic:

A) contraries.
B) truths of reasoning.
C) truths of fact.
D) truths of principle.
E) truths of faith.

Question 37

The "thought experiment" with the lump of wax shows that Descartes was:

A) a rationalist.
B) an empiricist.
C) an epistemological skepticist.
D) a solipsist.
E) None of the above

Question 38

According to the empiricists:

A) logic and mathematics are the models for true knowledge.
B) Descartes' views are correct.
C) nothing can ever meet Descartes' criteria for certainty.
D) all valid knowledge claims must be justified by reason.
E) None of the above

Question 39

Truths of fact are justified by appeal to:

A) the laws of logic.
B) the law of contradiction.
C) clear and distinct perceptions.
D) the Principle of Sufficient Reason.
E) the Law of the Excluded Middle.

Question 40

When Leibniz says a truth of fact is contingent, he means:

A) it would be possible for its contradictory to be true.
B) its contradictory is also true.
C) it wasn't always a fact.
D) it's also a truth of reason.
E) None of the above

Question 41

Kant invented the "unity of consciousness" to solve the epistemological problem of:

A) skepticism.
B) nihilism.
C) solipsism.
D) Both A and C
E) None of the above

Question 42

Anna Leach argues that plagiarism isn't wrong:

A) because it is a form of collaboration.
B) in countries where it isn't illegal.
C) as long as no one finds out.
D) if you didn't realize you were doing it.
E) unless you make money from it.

Question 43

To say that an argument is valid means:

A) its conclusion is true.
B) it's widely accepted.
C) its premises are plausible.
D) its conclusion follows from its premises.
E) Both A and D

Question 44

According to John Locke, all knowledge is founded on:

A) reason.
B) logic.
C) experience
D) imagination.
E) Both A and B

Question 45

Descartes' project was to justify established doctrine and the authority of the ancients.

Question 46

According to Kant, the categories are:

A) individual thoughts and impressions.
B) types of thoughts.
C) brute facts of consciousness.
D) rules for unifying thoughts in the mind.
E) barriers to be eliminated in order to achieve unity of consciousness.

Question 47

Stanley Fish compares the rules of plagiarism to the rules of:

A) hockey
B) baseball
C) golf
D) football
E) basketball

Question 48

Hume divides the content of the mind into:

A) impressions and ideas.
B) necessary and contingent propositions.
C) reason and imagination.
D) knowledge and belief.
E) the empirical and the rational.

Question 49

Descartes' method urges us to consolidate simple propositions into more complex ones.

Question 50

Hume did not believe that:

A) an uncaused event was conceivable.
B) it is psychologically possible to suspend one's belief in causation.
C) we could possess an idea of a unicorn.
D) the contents of the mind could be divided into atomic units.
E) whatever is different is distinguishable.

Question 51

The first rule of Descartes' method was to consider everything false that wasn't certainly true.

Question 52

The taste of an apple is an example of a:

A) complex impression.
B) simple impression.
C) perception that can be distinguished into parts.
D) Both A and C
E) Both B and C

Question 53

If Locke's theory is correct, then:

A) God's existence is known from experience.
B) we have no idea of God.
C) God is necessarily omnipotent.
D) Both A and C
E) None of the above

Question 54

Descartes' method suggests we should work on the simplest parts of a problem first.

Question 55

Hume argued that:

A) everything that exists must have a reason for existence.
B) every event must have a cause.
C) everything that exists has a cause.
D) it would be conceivable for something to exist without a cause.
E) None of the above

Question 56

Jonathan H. Adler contends that plagiarism is on the rise because:

A) standards are too strict.
B) students are not taught that standards matter.
C) no one has time to write their own work.
D) the Internet is redefining how students understand the concept of authorship.
E) there is nothing wrong with it.

Question 57

The two basic epistemological problems raised by Descartes were:

A) the Cogito Argument and the tabula rasa.
B) the problem of knowledge and the problem of belief.
C) the problem of certainty and the problem of the sources of knowledge.
D) empirical problems and rational problems.
E) justification and reason.

Question 58

Who formulated the idea of the "unity of consciousness"?

A) Descartes
B) Kant
C) Hume
D) Leibniz
E) Freud

Question 59

The idea that the mind enters the world as a tabula rasa was first put forward by:

A) the empiricist John Locke.
B) the rationalist René Descartes.
C) Plato.
D) modern psychologists, such as Sigmund Freud.
E) None of the above

Question 60

Descartes' major contribution to philosophy lies more in the method he developed than the results he achieved.

Question 61

The "epistemological turn" was completed when Hume published his Essay Concerning the Human Understanding.

Question 62

Descartes says we must doubt something if there is one chance in a billion that it's false.

Question 63

Epistemological skepticism is the view that knowledge can never be adequately justified.

Question 64

Descartes' method can be used for proving what you already know.

Question 65

The "epistemological turn" began with Descartes.

Question 66

Before Descartes, philosophers didn't study epistemology.

Question 67

To doubt something, in Descartes' sense, is to believe it is false.

Question 68

After Descartes, philosophers considered questions of how we know to be more important than questions of what we know.

Question 69

Together, Descartes' methods of inquiry and doubt drive us to epistemological skepticism.

Question 70

Descartes' method is both a method of doubt and a method of inquiry.

Question 71

Descartes' method is to be used for actual discovery of new knowledge.

Question 72

Descartes thought we should believe only what is beyond reasonable doubt.

Question 73

Prior to Descartes, epistemology took precedence over metaphysics.

Question 74

Descartes begins by doubting everything but the existence of God.

Question 75

Descartes uses his method to systematically set forth the things he knew.

Question 76

The aim of epistemological skepticism is to get us to stop believing things are true.

Question 77

According to Descartes' method of doubt, we can't be certain that the moon isn't made of cheese.

Question 78

Epistemological skepticism is the view that nothing is true.

Question 79

To doubt something, in Descartes' sense, is to withhold judgment whether it is true or false.

Question 80

Descartes' intent in the Meditations was to provide a foundation of certain knowledge on which the sciences could build.