Descartes
Why does Descartes introduce the possibility of an "evil genius" who deceives us in all things?
Reinforce sense doubt and cognitive defect doubt, and set up a situation where we ask what maintains even in the most dire of skeptical challenges
For Hume, what are the two types of perceptions? How do they differ?
1) Impressions: more vivid
2) Ideas: less vivid
For Kant, why is the good will the only true good?
Cannot be misused
In simple terms, what does Nietzsche mean by "will to power"?
Our instinct to be free and exert our will on others and the world
Explain the difference between formal reality and objective reality
Formal reality: the degree of reality the object itself has
Objective reality: the degree of reality the idea of that object has
How does Hume distinguish between relations of ideas and matters of fact?
Relations of Ideas: necessary, a priori truths
Matter of Fact: contingent, a posteriori truths
What is the precondition for Enlightenment, according to Kant?
Freedom of public discourse
In what sense does Wollstonecraft think women are similar to military officers?
They both had a "haphazard education" and acquired manners before morals. They live to please, and are focused moreso on gallantry and reputation than on acting in accordance with one's own reason
Explain Descartes' wax example and what it is supposed to show
Can only directly grasp primary qualities, not secondary qualities
Describe Hume's example of the "missing shade of blue." Why does he introduce this example?
Counterexample to the copy principle (simple ideas come from impressions)
Why are actions done out of duty the only actions which have moral worth?
Independent of inclination
Explain de Beauvoir's "Ethical Existentialist" moral persona
Recognizes subjectivity and respects the freedom of all others (cf. The Passionate and The Adventurer); understand the requirements of their freedom that they define themselves in terms of their free actions, and are entirely detached from any idea of objective value
Explain Ayer's critique of metaphysics and the verificationist criterion
1) Nonsense sentences because...
2) A sentence is factually significant to any given person, if, and only if, they know how to verify the proposition which it purports to express
What is Descartes' trademark argument? What role does it play in the overall structure of the Meditations?
Cogito argument; Cogito as the archimedean point
1) Ought to proportion belief according to evidence
2) Evidence for miracles is testimony
3) No testimony has ever warranted more belief than our observations of the uniformity of nature
What does "categorical imperative" mean, and what is the Categorical Imperative for Kant?
1) a command that binds us no matter how we feel; not contingent on any prior inclination
2) the formula of universal law; do not act in such a way that the universalized maxim of the action is self-contradictory (lying promise example; promising no longer a sufficient means)
NOTE: CONSEQUENCES DO NOT MATTER
What is the overall goal of the Genealogy of Morality?
Divide the history of morality into two, and prove that the transition from good-bad to evil-good was facilitated in large part by the rise of religion
Explain Ryle's critique of Cartesian Dualism
A category mistake ("ghost in the machine"); the mind is not in a logical category different from that of physical objects, but is rather from the ways that physical objects interact and are arranged.
Cannot assume the existence of separate mental entities from the fact that we cannot describe mental features simply in bodily terms
Explain Princess Elizabeth's critique of Descartes, and Descartes' response
1) mind-body interaction
2) interaction facilitated by the pineal gland
Explain, in full, Hume's argument against inductive reasoning (hint: RoI-MoF distinction)
Correct response will mention:
1) Idea of necessary connection; a priori reasoning (relation of ideas) insufficient
2) A posteriori reasoning merely probable; it could be the contrary, and therefore our projections from the past onto the future are not underpinned by reason
A blind person tries to pay for a coffee with a $100 bill, thinking mistakenly that it is a $5 bill. The barista, who prides themself on always being fair to their customers, points out the error to the blind customer, rather than pocketing the $95 for themself. According to Kant, does their action have moral worth? Give a brief answer in support of both sides!
No: ultimately for the sake of maintaining reputation as an honest business and getting customers
Yes: barista perhaps has little stake in the business, and simply did the action out of duty (out of respect for the moral law)
Compare Aristotle's account of habituation with that of Wollstonecraft, explaining both their similarities and differences
ad hoc
In what sense is colonization a "Manachaean" division for Fanon?
Manachaeanism understood the world as a struggle between good and evil
Colonization characterized by this fundamental struggle. It inflicts a dichotomy upon the world, where each side takes itself to be good and is alienated from the other