Homework Lance
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Aristotle said that philosophy begins in wonder. By this he meant
a.
you have to travel a lot to be a philosopher.
b.
philosophy arises out of human loneliness.
c.
philosophy arises out of a natural human curiosity.
d.
no one knows what philosophy is.
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: p. 1
2. Etymologies are not very helpful in providing a definition of a word because
a.
no one knows what the etymologies of words.
b.
no one knows what the word etymology means.
c.
the first meaning of a word is the most useful definition.
d.
the meanings of words change over time.
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: p. 2
3. Which of the following people thought that loving wisdom involved gaining knowledge about the physical universe by carefully investigating the nature of physical things?
a.
Pre-Socratic philosophers
b.
Socrates and his students
c.
Sophists
d.
Wiccans
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: p. 2
4. Socrates believed that wisdom is
a.
dogmatic certainty.
b.
knowledge about how to be successful in public life.
c.
teaching others what you know.
d.
being aware of one’s own ignorance.
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: p. 2-3
5. From the following list of questions, select the one that is most fundamental.
a.
Are the lights on?
b.
What is light?
c.
What is really real?
d.
What is electricity?
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: p. 4
6. Metaphysics deals with which of the following questions?
a.
What is beauty?
b.
What is truly real?
c.
What is truth?
d.
What is morally good?
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: p. 4
7. Which one of the main branches of knowledge deals with the distinction between opinion and knowledge?
a.
ethics
b.
metaphysics
c.
axiology
d.
epistemology
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: p. 5
8. Which of the following statements violates the law of noncontradiction?
a.
It is either cloudy or raining.
b.
This circle is square.
c.
My new car is black and white.
d.
If I love wisdom, then I cannot love Lucy.
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: p. 7
9. Foundationalism holds that
a.
the universe rests on the back of a turtle.
b.
there are no objective and universal standards of rationality.
c.
there are objective and universal standards of rationality.
d.
all truth is relative.
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: p. 7
10. According to Kessler, the law of noncontradiction is
a.
a sufficient condition of rationality.
b.
at best, a necessary condition of rationality.
c.
both a sufficient and necessary condition of rationality.
d.
a vivid and forceful sense experience.
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: p. 7
11. Anti-foundationalists often criticize foundationalism because
a.
foundationalists have failed to agree about what exactly constitutes transcultural foundational principles.
b.
foundationalists support cognitive relativism.
c.
foundationalism is free from contradiction.
d.
anti-foundationalists believe only God knows which principles are true.
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: p. 8
12. Foundationalists often respond to the anti-foundationalists by arguing that
a.
the anti-foundationalists’ claim that “there are absolute objective standards of rationality” is false.
b.
the anti-foundationalists’ position amounts to relativism.
c.
anti-foundationalists support a position of ethnocentric imperialism.
d.
the anti-foundationalists cannot produce the self-evident sources of rationality they claim exist.
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: p. 9
13. According to Kessler, one way to get out of the dilemma of ethnocentric imperialism versus a kind of “anything goes” relativism is to
a.
expand our conversation with others who may hold differing views.
b.
insist that we are right and all others are wrong.
c.
bring in a third party to mediate.
d.
admit that any one view is as correct as any other.
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: p. 10
14. If truth is the “fusion of horizons,” then
a.
it is pointless to learn about the philosophical views of others who do not share our culture and traditions.
b.
it is impossible to understand philosophical and religious viewpoints very different from our own.
c.
genuine and honest dialogue with others who do hold different views is essential to arriving at the truth.
d.
there is no way out of the dilemma of ethnocentric imperialism.
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: p. 11
15. Philosophy can be enjoyable and stimulating to read, because it
a.
is usually written in the form of dramatic dialogues.
b.
doesn’t force or challenge us to rethink our inherited beliefs.
c.
frequently contains arguments.
d.
can provide the pleasure of discovering new ideas.
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: p. 12
16. One reason that a primary source can be difficult to read is that
a.
we are not used to looking up words and references that we do not understand.
b.
such sources always take the form of technical essays.
c.
they must be read analytically, but not critically.
d.
such sources explain the ideas of others and therefore present second-hand information.
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: p. 12
17. Evaluating a text requires the reader to
a.
disagree with the author.
b.
agree with the author.
c.
only understand the text.
d.
understand the text and think about the implications and assumptions of the text.
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: p. 12
18. In order to understand a philosophical text, the reader should
a.
read quickly and form an opinion.
b.
multitask.
c.
read the material more than once.
d.
try to find disagreements with the author.
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: p. 13
19. Which of the following is an example of an analytic question?
a.
Is what is said clear?
b.
Has the author analyzed the topic adequately?
c.
Do the implications of the text lead to absurd conclusions?
d.
How are key terms defined?
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: p. 13
20. According to Russell, the value of philosophy is to be found in
a.
listening to the thoughts of famous philosophers.
b.
strengthening our favorite beliefs.
c.
its indirect effects on the lives of those who study philosophy.
d.
the bliss of the non-Self.
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: p. 15
21. While science deals with questions that have definite answers, philosophy
a.
keeps alive speculative interest.
b.
helps us to accept our lot in life.
c.
convinces us that the person is the measure of all things.
d.
deals with questions that presently have no definite answer.
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: p. 15
22. Russell states that philosophical contemplation
a.
starts from the Self and seeks relief from the Self.
b.
starts with habits and self-interests, and expands to include new interests.
c.
starts with the Not-Self and enlarges the boundaries of the Self.
d.
seeks dominion over the other sciences.
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: p. 16
23. What is the value of philosophy for Russell?
a.
Philosophy gives us definite answers.
b.
Philosophy can divide the world between friends and foes.
c.
Philosophy can protect us from threatening ideas.
d.
Philosophy opens a person’s mind to union with the universe.
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: p. 17
24. The mind that is expanded by contemplation has which of the following characteristics?
a.
wisdom and virtue
b.
impartiality, justice, universal love
c.
skepticism, logic, fairness
d.
self-interest, hedonism, rationality
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: p. 17-18
TRUE/FALSE
1. According to Kessler, philosophy consists of a set of beliefs and dogmas, usually based on some kind of intuition or divine revelation about which we can be certain.
a. True
b. False
ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: p. 3
2. Philosophy is exclusively concerned with the question of the meaning of life, according to Kessler.
a. True
b. False
ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: p. 3
3. How we formulate questions is important because words are clear and precise.
a. True
b. False
ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: p. 4
4. Metaphysics deals with the distinction between appearance and reality.
a. True
b. False
ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: p. 4
5. William James’ definition of philosophy as “the unusually stubborn attempt to think clearly” indicates that for James, philosophy is an activity that can be applied to almost any subject matter.
a. True
b. False
ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: p. 6
6. If rationality has to do with the way we investigate matters and settle disputes, then disagreements about rationality are so fundamental that it is difficult to know how to proceed to settle them.
a. True
b. False
ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: p. 7
7. Ethnocentric imperialism amounts to holding that the standards your community recognizes as rational should be the standards all communities recognize as rational.
a. True
b. False
ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: p. 9
8. William James’ definition of philosophy as “the unusually stubborn attempt to think clearly” indicates that for James, philosophy is an activity that can be applied to almost any subject matter.
a. True
b. False
ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: p. 6
9. If rationality has to do with the way we investigate matters and settle disputes, then disagreements about rationality are so fundamental that it is difficult to know how to proceed to settle them.
a. True
b. False
ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: p. 7
10. One advantage of foundationalism is that it promises to prevent an infinite regress in the search for rational principles.
a. True
b. False
ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: p. 7
11. According to Kessler, one problem with a kind of “anything goes” relativism is that it appears to be self-refuting.
a. True
b. False
ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: p. 10
12. Ethical relativism and cognitive relativism mean the same thing.
a. True
b. False
ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: p. 9
13. According to weak relativism, it follows from the fact that there exist different understandings of rationality and morality, all understandings are of equal value.
a. True
b. False
ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: p. 10
14. According to the “perhaps method” of the Jains, different viewpoints can be held on any issue, and many of them might be correct.
a. True
b. False
ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: p. 12
15. The essential purpose of a critical reading is to present a complete summary of a text’s argument.
a. True
b. False
ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: p. 13
16. Critical reading is the same as reading for pleasure.
a. True
b. False
ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: p. 13
17. A source is called a “secondary source” if it focuses on explaining the ideas of others.
a. True
b. False
ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: p. 12
18. Russell believes that philosophical questions are the worthless residue of the positive knowledge of the sciences.
a. True
b. False
ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: p. 15
19. Philosophical uncertainty means to ask questions that have no definite answers in any field of knowledge.
a. True
b. False
ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: p. 16
20. According to Russell, one of the values of philosophical contemplation is to expand our understanding of our private lives.
a. True
b. False
ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: p. 16
21. The chief value of philosophy, for Russell, lies in the greatness of the objects which it contemplates and the freedom from personal aims resulting from this contemplation.
a. True
b. False
ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: p. 16
22. Russell argues that philosophy should only consider ideas for which it can provide definite answers.
a. True
b. False
ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: p. 16
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