Epistemology Study Guide Questions
Course Introduction
Epistemology is the branch of philosophy that investigates the nature, sources, limits, and validity of knowledge. This course explores fundamental questions such as: What is knowledge? How do we acquire it? What justifies our beliefs? Topics include the distinction between belief and knowledge, theories of justification, skepticism, perception, rationalism, empiricism, and contemporary debates about the value and scope of knowledge. Through analysis of classic and contemporary texts, students will develop critical thinking and analytical skills by examining central problems related to human understanding and the pursuit of truth.
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The Philosophical Journey An Interactive Approach 6th Edition by William Lawhead
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7 Chapters
585 Verified Questions
585 Flashcards
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Chapter 1: Introduction To The Philosophical Journey
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52 Verified Questions
52 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Socrates maintained that a good person cannot be harmed by others because A) the gods will protect the good person.
B) others will respect and honor a person who is truly good.
C) society will come to the defense of someone who is good.
D) evil people can harm the body,but not a person's true self.
Answer: D
Q2) The Socratic method consisted of
A) drawing philosophical conclusions from scientific observations.
B) lecturing to people on the basic principles for successful living.
C) surveying public opinion and embracing the collective wisdom of the majority.
D) asking questions of people and then questioning their answers.
Answer: D
Q3) "All opinions are false" is an example of a self-referential inconsistency.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q4) If an argument is strong,the premises make the conclusion highly probable.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
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Chapter 2: The Search for Ultimate Reality
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Sample Questions
Q1) Metaphysical materialism is a form of dualism.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q2) The position that claims that the terms "beliefs," "thoughts," and "desires" refer to nothing at all is called
A) identity theory.
B) eliminativism.
C) dualism.
D) idealism.
Answer: B
Q3) According to Sartre,what is the significance of the fact that you were born a certain gender?
A) You are determined to act and think a certain way because of biological causes.
B) You are conditioned to act and think a certain way by society.
C) This fact has no significance until you assign meaning to it.
D) One's gender has no significance because there is one basic,human nature that governs us all.
Answer: C
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Page 4
Chapter 3: The Search For Knowledge
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Sample Questions
Q1) The view that all truth is relative to a particular culture is known as "subjectivism."
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q2) Dewey referred to his position as "instrumentalism" because
A) ideas,like musical instruments,are judged solely on whether they are subjectively pleasing to the individual.
B) his theory was not the final truth but an instrument for achieving absolute truth.
C) ideas are like scientific instruments that reveal the true nature of reality.
D) ideas are instruments for helping us deal with the situations in life.
Answer: D
Q3) In her book <i>Maternal Thinking</i>,Sara Ruddick argues that
A) knowledge involves the traits of caring,intimacy,responsibility,and trust.
B) women ought to be compensated by society for carrying out the task of mothering.
C) men cannot exemplify the traits of maternal thinking.
D) feminism ought to be rejected in favor of more traditional gender roles.
Answer: A
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Page 5
Chapter 4: The Search for God
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Sample Questions
Q1) The greater good defense claims that some evils are necessary in order to achieve certain good ends.
A)True B)False
Q2) Anselm's critic,Gaunilo,rejected the ontological argument because he was an atheist.
A)True B)False
Q3) Monotheism is the belief that God and the world are identical. A)True B)False
Q4) How does the greater good defense attempt to justify the existence of evil? How might a critic respond to this defense?
Q5) Explain the problem that the theory of evolution posed for the design argument.How might a theist accept evolution and still maintain the plausibility of the design argument?
Q6) Anselm assumes that existence is a property that makes a being more perfect. A)True B)False
Page 6
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Chapter 5: The Search for Ethical Values
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Sample Questions
Q1) All religious philosophers necessarily hold to the divine command theory of ethics.
A)True
B)False
Q2) According to Jeremy Bentham,we are governed by two sovereign masters,which are
A) physical desires and moral obligations.
B) pain and pleasure.
C) God and society.
D) love of self and love of others.
Q3) What does Immanuel Kant mean by the "good will"? Why is it so important to his ethical theory? Why does he think that neither consequences nor inclinations should play a role in ethics?
Q4) Discuss the story of the ring of Gyges in Plato's Republic.What is the point that Glaucon is trying to make with this story? argue either for or against Glaucon's view.
Q5) What is the difference between care-focused feminist ethics and power-focused feminist ethics?
Q6) What is the distinction between subjective ethical relativism and conventional ethical relativism?
Q7) What criticisms does virtue ethics make of utilitarianism and Kantian ethics?
Page 7
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Chapter 6: The Search for the Just Society
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Sample Questions
Q1) Plato believed that a democracy was the most just form of government.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Discuss Robert Paul Wolff's reasons for saying that the commands of the government are never legitimate.Why does he go on to say that it is sometimes necessary to comply with the law? Give your own assessment of his arguments against governmental authority.
Q3) Robert Paul Wolff argues that governmental authority and individual autonomy are compatible.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Discuss the five arguments that are commonly used to defend the permissibility of civil disobedience.Which argument do you think is the strongest? Which argument is the weakest?
Q5) Which of the following was an advocate of anarchism?
A) Robert Paul Wolff
B) Thomas Hobbes
C) John Locke
D) all the above
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Chapter 7: Philosophy and the Meaning of Life
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Sample Questions
Q1) According to your text,only the religious person is concerned with the question of the meaning of life.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Concerning decisions about the meaning of life,Kierkegaard advised us to
A) follow the decisions of the great philosophers in history.
B) always suspend judgment and avoid all commitments.
C) only make choices when there is no risk involved.
D) realize that choice,commitment,and risk are inescapable.
Q3) Explain Kierkegaard's distinction between knowing the truth and being in the truth.
Q4) A characteristic of the philosophy of existentialism is its stress that all human actions are determined.
A)True
B)False
Q5) According to Socrates,to answer the question "What is my life all about?" we need to know what human existence,in general,is all about.
A)True
B)False
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