Question 1

Descartes believed that our knowledge of was derived from our senses.

Accepted Answer

Descartes believed that our senses could be deceived and that true knowledge could only be derived from reason and the mind.

Question 2

Rationalism is the view that
A) All knowledge is acquired through reason
B) No knowledge can be acquired through the senses
C) Reason can arrive at some knowledge
D) Reason can arrive at all knowledge

Accepted Answer

Rationalism holds that reason can arrive at some knowledge, but not necessarily all knowledge. It does not completely discount the role of the senses in acquiring knowledge, but places more emphasis on reason as a reliable source of knowledge. Option A and D are extreme positions that are not generally held by rationalists, while option B completely disregards the role of the senses in acquiring knowledge.

Question 3

Who did not rely on God to save him from skepticism?
A) Descartes
B) Locke
C) Berkeley
D) Hume

Accepted Answer

Hume did not rely on God to save him from skepticism. In fact, he believed that knowledge was only possible through empirical experience and that any beliefs beyond that were mere superstition or custom. He rejected the idea of a priori knowledge or innate ideas, which were foundational to many theological arguments at the time.

Question 4

Who offered a view now termed transcendental idealism?
A) Kant
B) Berkeley
C) Hume
D) Locke

Accepted Answer

Transcendental idealism was offered by the philosopher Immanuel Kant. He argued that our knowledge of the world is shaped by both the structure of our own minds and the sensory information we receive from the world. Therefore, reality as it exists independently of human perception may be unknowable, and knowledge is limited to the realm of appearances or phenomena.

Question 5

Locke believed that there was no difference between primary and secondary qualities.

Accepted Answer

Locke believed in the distinction between primary and secondary qualities. Primary qualities were considered to be objective and measurable, such as size and shape, while secondary qualities were subjective and dependent on perception, such as color and taste.

Question 6

Descartes methodological point of departure was
A) Empiricism
B) Rationalism
C) Skepticism
D) Theism

Accepted Answer

Descartes' methodological point of departure was skepticism, as he doubted the reliability of his own senses and beliefs. He believed that the only way to arrive at certain knowledge was through systematic doubt and the use of reason to build a foundation of indubitable truths. This approach is known as Cartesian skepticism or methodological skepticism. Therefore, option C is the correct answer.

Question 7

Shankara developed the idea of "sublation".

Accepted Answer

Shankara developed the idea of "sublation", which is the process by which contradictory or opposing ideas are merged and integrated to form a higher level of truth.

Question 8

Locke was an empiricist.

Accepted Answer

John Locke is generally considered to be an empiricist philosopher, as he believed that knowledge comes from experience and sensory perception.

Question 9

Anne Conway was an empiricist.

Accepted Answer

Anne Conway was a rationalist, not an empiricist. She believed that knowledge could be achieved through the development of rational thought rather than solely through sensory experience.

Question 10

Martin Luther launched the Protestant revolution.

Accepted Answer

Martin Luther's Ninety-Five Theses in 1517 is widely regarded as the starting point of the Protestant Reformation, which was a major movement that challenged the authority of the Catholic Church in Europe.

Question 11

Who claimed that the claim that the world must conform to the mind was a kind of Copernican revolution in knowledge?
A) Hume
B) Locke
C) Descartes
D) Kant

Accepted Answer

The philosopher who claimed that the claim that the world must conform to the mind was a kind of Copernican revolution in knowledge is Kant. This idea is part of his transcendental idealism, which holds that the mind structures our experience of the world, rather than the world imposing its structure onto our minds. This idea is similar to how Copernicus overturned the previously accepted view that the Earth was at the center of the universe and instead proposed that it revolves around the sun, shifting the focus away from the observer and onto the object being observed.

Question 12

According to Kant, statements that give us information about the world are
A) Synthetic statements
B) Analytic statements
C) Skeptical statements
D) Agnostic statements

Accepted Answer

According to Kant, statements that give us information about the world are synthetic statements. Analytic statements are those whose truth can be determined by the meanings of the words alone, while synthetic statements require some actual observation or experience to determine their truth. Skeptical and agnostic statements are not categories of statements according to Kant's philosophy.

Question 13

Carried to an extreme Berkeley's thinking can become
A) Rationalism
B) Atheism
C) Solipsism
D) Materialism

Accepted Answer

Berkeley's philosophy is based on the idea that to be is to be perceived. He believed that the physical world only exists as a construct of the mind, and that objects only exist when they are being perceived. This line of thinking leads to the conclusion of solipsism, which is the belief that only one's own mind is sure to exist. While Berkeley's philosophy can have implications for other belief systems, such as atheism or materialism, it ultimately leads to solipsism when carried to an extreme.

Question 14

What, according to Shankara, was real?
A) The self
B) The world
C) Ultimate reality
D) Ultimate knowledge

Accepted Answer

According to Shankara, ultimate reality is the only thing that is real and everything else, including the self and the world, is an illusion or maya.

Question 15

Who was a Romantic philosopher?
A) Kant
B) Copernicus
C) Hegel
D) Humboldt

Accepted Answer

The answer of Who was a Romantic philosopher?
A) Kant
B) Copernicus
C)...

Question 16

Berkeley was an atheist

Accepted Answer

George Berkeley was a bishop in the Anglican church and is well-known for his philosophical work that argued for the existence of God as an integral part of his immaterialist philosophy.

Question 17

Who compared the mind to a blank slate?
A) John Locke
B) Francis Bacon
C) Rene Descartes
D) Thomas Aquinas

Accepted Answer

John Locke's theory of empiricism suggested that the mind is a blank slate or "tabula rasa" at birth, and is gradually shaped by our experiences and interactions with the world around us.

Question 18

Leibniz held that innate ideas were tendencies.

Accepted Answer

Leibniz believed that innate ideas were not fully formed concepts but rather tendencies or inclinations towards certain ways of thinking.

Question 19

Berkeley was an empiricist.

Accepted Answer

Berkeley was known for his empiricist philosophy, which held that knowledge comes primarily from sensory experience.

Question 20

The critical realists rejected Locke's epistemology.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The critical realists rejected Locke's epistemology....

Quiz 5: The Sources of Knowledge

Descartes believed that our knowledge of was derived from our senses.

Rationalism is the view that

Who did not rely on God to save him from skepticism?

Who offered a view now termed transcendental idealism?

Locke believed that there was no difference between primary and secondary qualities.

Descartes methodological point of departure was

Shankara developed the idea of "sublation".

Locke was an empiricist.

Anne Conway was an empiricist.

Martin Luther launched the Protestant revolution.

Who claimed that the claim that the world must conform to the mind was a kind of Copernican revolution in knowledge?

According to Kant, statements that give us information about the world are

Carried to an extreme Berkeley's thinking can become

What, according to Shankara, was real?

Who was a Romantic philosopher?

Berkeley was an atheist

Who compared the mind to a blank slate?

Leibniz held that innate ideas were tendencies.

Berkeley was an empiricist.

The critical realists rejected Locke's epistemology.