HU2700: Study Questions for First Exam
I. Define, Explain, Describe, Identify
Aquinas, Saint
Thomas
analysis
(of an argument)
Anselm, Saint
Apology
argument
atheism
autonomy
behaviorism
Berkeley, George
body
categorical statement
cave, parable of the
Chinese Room
Argument
conclusion
consciousness
Cosmological
Argument
Crito
deductive
Design Argument
dualism
efficient cause
eliminative
materialism
epistemology
ethics
evaluation (of an
argument)
experience,
religious
faith, religious
functionalism
idealism
identity theory
inductive
interactionism
logic
materialism
metaphysics
mind
mind-body
problem
neutral monism
Ontological
Argument
parallelism
Plato
premise
problem of evil
Socrates
sound argument
theism
Turing test
"unexamined life"
valid argument
II. Discussion
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
What is the main point of Plato's "Myth of the Cave"? What is represented by the
cave, the prisoners, the chains that restrict their movements, the fire, and the sun?
What is Plato saying about true knowledge and the conditions under which most
people live their lives?
In The Apology, Socrates says "the unexamined life is not worth living." Explain
how this statement arose in the context of his trial before the Athenian court. What
was Socrates being accused of? In what way was his statement intended to be a
defense of his actions?
What are the differences between deductive and inductive arguments? Give an
example of each. Explain why each example represents its type.
Can a valid argument be unsound? If so, give an example. Can a sound argument be
invalid? If so, give an example.
Can a valid argument have a false premise? If so, give an example. Can an invalid
argument have a true conclusion? If so, give an example.
Can an argument with a false conclusion be sound? If so, give an example. Can an
argument with a true conclusion be unsound? If so, give an example.
What is materialism? State one of the main arguments for materialism? State one of
the main arguments against materialism?
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
What is idealism? What is Berkeley’s argument for idealism? How does Berkeley
account for the continued existence of “ordinary objects” when we (human beings)
are not perceiving them?
What is the mind-body problem? What is dualism? What is Descartes's view about
interaction between minds and bodies? State one of the arguments against that
view?
What is the identity theory of the mind? What are the main arguments for and
against that theory?
What is the Turing test? What is it a test for? What is Searle's argument against the
Turing test?
What are the main components of the Ontological Argument for the existence of
God? Explain how the argument is supposed to work. Do you find the argument
convincing? Why or why not? Be specific.
What are the main components of the Aquinas’s Argument from Efficient Causes
for the existence of God? Explain how the argument is supposed to work. Do you
find the argument convincing? Why or why not? Be specific.
What are the main components of Paley’s Design Argument for the existence of
God? Explain how the argument is supposed to work. Do you find the argument
convincing? Why or why not? Be specific.
What are the main components of the argument against the existence of God that is
based on the problem of evil? Explain how the argument is supposed to work. Do
you find the argument convincing? Why or why not? Be specific.
What is religious experience? What are the main pros and cons of the view that
religious experience supplies us with strong evidence of God’s existence? Be
specific.
What is religious faith? What are the main pros and cons of the view that we know
by faith that God exists? Be specific.