Question 1

Three of the empiricists discussed in the text were
A) John Locke,George Berkeley,and David Hume.
B) Plato,René Descartes,and John Locke.
C) Plato,Gottfried Leibniz,and George Berkeley.
D) Gottfried Leibniz,John Locke,and David Hume.

Accepted Answer

The text specifically mentions John Locke, George Berkeley, and David Hume as three of the empiricists discussed. The other philosophers mentioned in the answer choices are not all empiricists according to the text.

Question 2

The empiricist believes that
A) the only source of genuine knowledge is sense experience.
B) apart from experience,reason is an unreliable and inadequate route to knowledge.
C) there is no evidence of innate ideas within the mind.
D) all of the above

Accepted Answer

All of the above statements are beliefs held by empiricists. Empiricism emphasizes the importance of sense experience as the only source of genuine knowledge, rejects the notion of innate ideas, and views reason as secondary to experience in the acquisition of knowledge.

Question 3

According to Berkeley,our ideas of objects are caused by
A) their material substance.
B) other ideas.
C) our own minds.
D) God.

Accepted Answer

Berkeley argued that our ideas of objects are caused by God, as he believed that material substance does not exist independently of perception.

Question 4

Descartes finally concluded that he could trust his sense experience because
A) otherwise,life would not be worth living.
B) apart from experience,he would be unable to do science.
C) a good God would not deceive him.
D) the knowledge gained through the senses is just too obvious to be doubted.

Accepted Answer

Descartes ultimately relied on the idea that a good God would not deceive him, and therefore his sense experience could be trusted. This was a key part of his foundationalist philosophy, which relied on the idea that certain truths could be known with certainty and used as a basis for further inquiry.

Question 5

Since fire has burned us in the past,we believe that fire will burn us in the future.According to Hume,this reasoning is based on
A) the laws of logic.
B) impressions.
C) the principle of induction.
D) methodological skepticism.

Accepted Answer

According to Hume, this reasoning is based on the principle of induction, which is the assumption that the future will be like the past based on past experiences. This principle is not based on logical necessity or direct sensory impressions, but rather on the habit or custom of expecting a certain outcome based on previous experiences.

Question 6

The view that we do not directly experience objects but only the ideas they produce within us is known as
A) subjective idealism.
B) immaterialism.
C) representative realism.
D) subjective relativism.

Accepted Answer

The view that we do not directly experience objects but only the ideas they produce within us is called representative realism. This position holds that our perception of the world is mediated by mental representations or ideas that correspond to external objects. It is a middle ground between direct realism (which asserts that we perceive objects directly) and idealism (which claims that there is no external world).

Question 7

According to Berkeley,the word "apple" refers to
A) nothing more than a collection of experiences in our minds.
B) a material object.
C) a substance underlying what is experienced.
D) nothing,since reality does not exist.

Accepted Answer

According to Berkeley, everything that exists can only be known through our experiences and perceptions of it. Therefore, the word "apple" refers to nothing more than a collection of experiences in our minds. It is not a material object or a substance underlying what is experienced. And while Berkeley does not deny the existence of reality, he argues that it can only exist within the mind of the perceiver.

Question 8

Hume was skeptical about which of the following beliefs?
A) our belief that the future will always be like the past
B) our belief in an external world
C) our belief in the existence of our self
D) all of the above

Accepted Answer

Hume was skeptical about all of these beliefs. He believed that our beliefs about the future being like the past were based on habit rather than rational justification. He also argued that we cannot have direct knowledge of an external world, and that our belief in the existence of a self is based on an illusion.

Question 9

In Hume's philosophy,the term "ideas" refers to
A) our immediate sensations.
B) the contents of our memories and imagination.
C) the emotional effects of something.
D) abstract ideas.

Accepted Answer

In Hume's philosophy, "ideas" refer to the contents of our memories and imagination. This includes the mental representations of concepts, thoughts, and images that we form through experience and reflection. Hume believed that all knowledge and understanding stems from these ideas, which are the building blocks of our understanding of the world.

Question 10

According to Locke's analysis,a secondary quality of an apple might be
A) its roundness.
B) its smoothness.
C) the amount of space it occupies.
D) its red color.

Accepted Answer

According to Locke's analysis, primary qualities of an object are its fundamental properties which are inseparable from the object itself (e.g. extension, motion, solidity), while secondary qualities are the properties which the object has in relation to our perception of it (e.g. color, taste, smell). Therefore, the roundness, smoothness, and amount of space an apple occupies are all primary qualities, while its red color is a secondary quality.

Question 11

Hume's view on the role of reason in human life is:
A) It is necessary that our beliefs be based on reason and they do have rational foundations.
B) It is necessary that our beliefs be based on reason,but reason fails to provide this basis.
C) What reason cannot demonstrate can be known through religious faith.
D) There is no need to rationally demonstrate our beliefs for them to be practically useful.

Accepted Answer

Hume argued that reason alone is not sufficient to motivate action or form beliefs; instead, beliefs and actions are often guided by passions and practical considerations rather than rational demonstration.

Question 12

Berkeley believed that the word "matter" refers to
A) nothing at all.
B) any object that be studied scientifically.
C) the external cause of our perceptual experiences.
D) something that is real,but only known indirectly.

Accepted Answer

Berkeley argued that what we think of as "matter" does not exist independently of our perception. He famously stated, "esse est percipi" (to be is to be perceived), suggesting that objects only exist as they are perceived by a mind. Therefore, he would say that "matter" refers to nothing at all outside of perception.

Question 13

According to Berkeley,there is difference between ideas produced by our imagination and real things because
A) ideas of sense are more strong,lively,and distinct.
B) ideas produced by our imagination are dependent on our minds,but real things are outside the mind.
C) God gives us the ideas in our imagination,but the external world gives us the ideas of real things.
D) ideas of sense have a steadiness,order,and coherence,and are not excited at random.
E) both a and d

Accepted Answer

Berkeley argued that ideas of sense (real things) are more vivid, strong, and distinct, and have a consistency, order, and coherence that ideas from our imagination lack. This distinction is central to his immaterialist philosophy, where all that exists are minds and ideas perceived by them.

Question 14

Hume's test for evaluating the worth of a book was to ask: Does it contain either
A) mathematical reasoning or experimental reasoning about matters of fact?
B) morally uplifting advice or conclusions based on the author's experiences?
C) facts based on common opinion or the testimony of authorities?
D) clear and distinct ideas or fruitful ideas that provoke the imagination?

Accepted Answer

Hume's criteria for evaluating the worth of a book, as outlined in his "Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding," focus on whether it contains mathematical reasoning or experimental reasoning about matters of fact. He argued that knowledge could only be derived from these two sources, dismissing other forms of reasoning as less valuable.

Question 15

John Locke's two categories of simple ideas are
A) mathematical and ethical ideas.
B) innate and complex ideas.
C) atoms and force.
D) sensation and reflection.

Accepted Answer

John Locke's two categories of simple ideas are sensation and reflection. Sensation includes ideas that come from our senses, such as colors or sounds, while reflection includes ideas that come from our own thoughts and experiences, such as ideas of perception, memory, and reasoning.

Question 16

The term that David Hume uses to refer to any of the contents of consciousness is
A) perceptions.
B) images.
C) sense data.
D) brain states.

Accepted Answer

David Hume uses the term "perceptions" to refer to any of the contents of consciousness, including both sensory experiences and mental states such as thoughts and emotions. While Hume does use the term "ideas" at times, he typically reserves this term for mental representations of external objects, rather than for the broader range of mental experiences encompassed by the term "perceptions." Hume also does not use the terms "images," "sense data," or "brain states" to refer to the contents of consciousness.

Question 17

George Berkeley called his position
A) skepticism.
B) immaterialism.
C) rationalism.
D) relativism.

Accepted Answer

George Berkeley's position is known as immaterialism, which emphasizes that material objects do not exist independently of the mind.

Question 18

Hume says our causal judgments are based on
A) the experience of a necessary connection between two events.
B) the similarity between two events.
C) the bedrock certainty of the sciences.
D) the constant conjunction of two events in our past experience.

Accepted Answer

According to Hume, our causal judgments are based on the constant conjunction of two events in our past experience. In other words, we infer a causal connection between two events based on the repeated observation of their regular conjunction. For example, we infer that the sun rising causes the start of a new day because we have observed this conjunction many times in the past. This kind of causal inference, according to Hume, is based on habit or custom rather than any inherent necessary connection between events.

Question 19

According to your text,"idealism" means the belief that
A) one should have an optimistic outlook on life.
B) the task of philosophy is to search for the ideal conditions of knowledge.
C) ultimate reality is mental or spiritual in nature.
D) reality goes far beyond what we discover in sense experience.

Accepted Answer

Idealism posits that ultimate reality is mental or spiritual in nature. This means that the material world that we perceive through our senses is not the ultimate reality, and that the true nature of things lies beyond our empirical experiences. Idealism is often contrasted with materialism, which posits that only the material world exists and that mental or spiritual phenomena are reducible to material processes.

Question 20

According to David Hume,all the objects of human reason fall into the two categories of
A) relations of ideas and matters of fact.
B) moral knowledge and scientific knowledge.
C) primary qualities and secondary qualities.
D) the subjective contents within our minds and objects external to our minds.

Accepted Answer

According to David Hume, all the objects of human reason can be divided into two categories: relations of ideas and matters of fact. Relations of ideas are based on logical and mathematical truths, such as the statement that all bachelors are unmarried. Matters of fact, on the other hand, are based on empirical evidence and can be tested through observation and experimentation. Examples of matters of fact include the statement that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, or that water freezes at 0 degrees Celsius.

Quiz 3: The Search For Knowledge

Three of the empiricists discussed in the text were

The empiricist believes that

According to Berkeley,our ideas of objects are caused by

Descartes finally concluded that he could trust his sense experience because

Since fire has burned us in the past,we believe that fire will burn us in the future.According to Hume,this reasoning is based on

The view that we do not directly experience objects but only the ideas they produce within us is known as

According to Berkeley,the word "apple" refers to

Hume was skeptical about which of the following beliefs?

In Hume's philosophy,the term "ideas" refers to

According to Locke's analysis,a secondary quality of an apple might be

Hume's view on the role of reason in human life is:

Berkeley believed that the word "matter" refers to

According to Berkeley,there is difference between ideas produced by our imagination and real things because

Hume's test for evaluating the worth of a book was to ask: Does it contain either

John Locke's two categories of simple ideas are

The term that David Hume uses to refer to any of the contents of consciousness is

George Berkeley called his position

Hume says our causal judgments are based on

According to your text,"idealism" means the belief that

According to David Hume,all the objects of human reason fall into the two categories of