Ethics
In the murderer at the door example, what the person questions morally forbidden from doing on Kant's view?
Lying
What are the charges against Socrates in the Apology>
What is a valid argument?
An (deductive) argument in which the conclusion must be true if the premises are true (or similar answer).
Edmund Gettier's work problematizes what central idea of epistemology?
That knowledge is justified true belief
Descartes is certain he exists as _____?
A thinking thing
Imagine a case in which a trolley is careening down a track. On its current path, there are five people tied to the track; on another track, one person is tied to the track. You stand near a lever that can force the trolley down the track with one person. If you are a utilitarian, what do you do and why?
You pull the lever because utilitarians seek to maximize pleasure and minimize pain. In this case, that is best achieved by killing one person rather than five.
Why is Socrates the wisest man in Greece?
He knows that he knows nothing
An argument is sound if ______?
It is valid and has all true premises.
Descartes method of attempting to learn truth through pure reason is an example of what kind of reasoning?
A priori
1) Either the door is open or the door is closed
2) The door is not open
3) Therefore, the door is closed
Is this argument deductive or inductive? Why?
Deductive because the truth of the premises guarantees the truth of the conclusion. (This is an example of the argument form: Denying a disjunct)
What is a maxim for Kant?
It is a rule for acting.
Socrates utilizes what method in his philosophical pursuits?
The Socratic Method
Is the following argument valid?
1) All dogs are mammals
2) Scooby-doo is a mammal
3) Therefore, Scooby-doo is a dog
No, it is invalid because Scooby-doo being a mammal does necessitate him being a dog.
The Brain in the Vat thought experiment—as well as Descartes' skepticism—call into question what?
That our sense perceptions convey true information about the external world. That is, they both call into question our experience of the external world.
For Virginia Held, what distinguishes care from service?
Care is a practice of interconnected actions motivated by an emotional attachment or responsibility to another individual. Service lacks the emotional/personal motivation.
Writing a play is an example of what type of pleasure for Mill?
A higher pleasure
What are two of the definitions of piety offered by Euthyphro?
Dear to the Gods, Loved by all Gods, Ministry to the Gods, Persecuting acts of injustice
1) If it is raining, then the streets are wet
2) It is raining
3) Therefore, the streets are wet.
This is an example of what valid argument form?
Affirming the antecedent
As outlined in Meditation Six, what is the distinction between understanding and imagining for Descartes?
Understanding is purely internal; it is based solely in the mind and is essentially comprehending the essence of something. Imagining is external; it requires that we have access to something outside of our minds.
Accepting a loan you know you cannot pay back is morally wrong on Kant's view. Why? (2 possible answers)
The maxim can't be universalized without resulting in contradiction/it treats the lender as a mere means.
If you are in a position where you can either help your children or help 10 people you do not know, ethics of care holds that you are morally right in choosing to help your children. Why?
Because ethics of care values interpersonal connections and relationships over pure rational determination of moral acts. That is, we have a deeper responsibility to our children because the relationship is one of a carer and a cared for.
The Gods are often at war, wars are only fought over high concepts (like justice), therefore the Gods disagree over high concepts.
In a conditional statement (If x, then y), y is a _______ condition for x?
Necessary condition
Reconstruct the Cogito i.e. explain how Descrates arrives at the belief "I think, therefore I am."
He rejects everything he cannot even slightly doubt. To take this to its radical end, he supposes that an Evil Demon exists that is always deceiving him. Yet, if he can be deceived, then he must exist. TL;DR To be deceived one must exist as a thing that can be deceived
Imagine that you are standing outside a field. You see, within it, what looks exactly like a sheep. You form the belief that there is a sheep in the field. And you are right, because there is a sheep behind the hill in the middle of the field. You cannot see that sheep, though, and you have no direct evidence of its existence. Moreover, what you are seeing is a dog, disguised as a sheep. Hence, you have a well justified true belief that there is a sheep in the field. But is that belief knowledge according to Gettier?
No, because mere justified true belief is not sufficient for having knowledge. While you are correct that this is a sheep in the field, you do not have knowledge because the evidence you based that belief on does not accurately represent the truth.