Philosophy Questions Section 1

Front 1

Name and explain two of the informal fallacies in the book.

Back 1

Fallacies of Relevance - reasoning to persuade based on emotion of the argument.
Fallacies of Ambiguity - incorrect reasoning based on imprecise use of language.

Front 2

Explain how religion and science each differ from philosophy.

Back 2

Religion is philosophy based on tradition and faith, science is philosophy based on studies and experiments. Philosophy is reasoning and logic based on one's own understanding.

Front 3

What does the book say about feminist philosophy?

Back 3

It is scares because of the lack of education and other social constraints of women during history. It is argued that male bias has played a role in women philosophers or the lack thereof.

Front 4

Explain Foundationalism.

Back 4

Holding a view based on something that you assume to be true, it can not be proven because it is something you have always held to be correct and you base other idea on this belief.

Front 5

Explain the metaphysical issue of The one and the many.

Back 5

Identifying the "one" that underlines the "many," and explaining the relation between the two/how the "many" derives from the "one."

Front 6

What is monism?

Back 6

The belief that reality is in some sense one, usually one in essence or nature

Front 7

Explain what an argument is, and what it isn’t.

Back 7

An argument is two premises that reach a sound conclusion through understanding, reasoning and examples.

Front 8

Distinguish between deductive and inductive reasoning.

Back 8

Deductive reasoning - reasoning in which the conclusion follows with logical necessity from the premises. All X are Y, All Y are Z, There fore all X are Z.
Inductive reasoning - reasoning in which the conclusion follows with probability from the premises. A, B, C.... _P are all 1, Therefore Z is 1

Front 9

Discuss Thales metaphysical theory.

Back 9

Thales view on reality is that everything comes from water. His reasoning is based on 1.) everything needs water to exist, 2.) it is present in most things, 3.) it is present everywhere, 4.) there is more water than anything else, and 5.) it exists in various forms.

Front 10

What were the pre-Socratic philosophers trying to explain? Discuss.

Back 10

Reality. What is is, our understanding of it, how we determine what is real and what is perceived.

Front 11

Explain Plato's theory of forms.

Back 11

The non-material abstract (but substantial) forms (or ideas), and not the material world of change known to us through sensation, possess the highest and most fundamental kind of reality.

Front 12

Describe Plato's view on the relation of appearance and reality.

Back 12

Plato presents a philosophical system in which observers are able to understand reality through (or despite) appearances simply because reality is just the sort of thing one's intellect is capable of uncovering.

Front 13

What is the point of the Allegory of the Cave?

Back 13

To explain understanding and how we learn from experiences.

Front 14

Discuss Aristotle's four causes.

Back 14

1.) A thing's material cause is the material it consists of.
2.) A thing's formal cause is its form.
3.) A thing's efficient cause is "the primary source of the change or rest."
4.) A thing's final cause is its aim or purpose.

Front 15

What criticisms did Aristotle have of Plato?

Back 15

In general, Aristotle thought that Plato's theory of forms with its two separate realms failed to explain what it was meant to explain. By separating the realm of forms so radically from the material realm, Plato made it impossible to explain how the realm of forms made objectivity and permanence possible in the material realm.

Front 16

Why is Descartes' method called a "geometrical method?"

Back 16

Because he felt that philosophy, like geometry, should have well defined starting points and conclusions.

Front 17

Describe Descartes' method of doubt.

Back 17

Descartes resolved to systematically doubt that any of his beliefs were true, in order to build, from the ground up, a belief system consisting of only certainly true beliefs.

Front 18

How does Descartes deduce the existence of God?

Back 18

If I have an idea of perfection, then there must actually exist a perfect being as its cause. I have an idea of perfection. Therefore, there must actually exist a perfect being.

Front 19

How does Descartes deduce the existence of matter?

Back 19

Because we think with our mind, and there's a God, and we see and feel objects, matter exists.

Front 20

What does Gilbert Ryle say about Descartes?

Back 20

He criticizes Descartes concept of Dualism. He says Descartes made a category error when talking about mind and matter, he uses them as though they are of the same logical type.