Question 1

The idea of the brain in the vat is to challenge
A) our belief that there is external world.
B) our belief that we know what the external world is like.
C) our belief that we have a mind.
D) None of the above

Accepted Answer

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Question 2

Perceptual illusions have convinced many that
A) our minds don't really exist.
B) people are trying to fool us all the time.
C) we can't be perceiving physical objects directly.
D) None of the above

Accepted Answer

Perceptual illusions demonstrate that our direct perceptions can be misleading, suggesting that what we perceive might not accurately represent physical objects as they are. This leads to the conclusion that we might not be perceiving physical objects directly, as our perceptions can be tricked or manipulated by various factors.

Question 3

George Berkeley claimed that our everyday images of objects came from
A) the objects themselves.
B) God.
C) our own minds.
D) None of the above

Accepted Answer

George Berkeley, an idealist philosopher, posited that the objects of perception are ideas which cannot exist without being perceived. For him, the persistence and regularity of these ideas are maintained by God, making God the source of our everyday images of objects.

Question 4

Which theory denies the existence of other minds?
A) Subjective idealism
B) Representative realism
C) Direct realism
D) None of the above

Accepted Answer

None of the options listed explicitly denies the existence of other minds. Theories about the existence of other minds primarily concern the problem of other minds in philosophy, which is not directly addressed by the theories listed here.

Question 5

Find a favorite science fiction film or story that deals with the themes discussed in this chapter. Explain how those themes play out in the fiction.

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Question 6

Do you think you can know that you are not a brain in a vat or a character in a computer simulation? Explain your answer in detail.

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Question 7

Present your own views on the morality of someone running computer simulations evolving conscious characters who face a great deal of suffering.

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Question 8

Summarize Wittgenstein's private language argument.

Accepted Answer

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Question 9

Summarize the view called "direct realism" and explain why so many thinkers have rejected it.

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Question 10

How does the assumption of substrate independence figure into Bostrom's analysis of whether or not we're living in a computer simulation?

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Quiz 2: Appearance and Reality

The idea of the brain in the vat is to challenge

Perceptual illusions have convinced many that

George Berkeley claimed that our everyday images of objects came from

Which theory denies the existence of other minds?