PHIL 101 EXAM QUSTIONS & ANSWERS
argument - Answers - set of premises intended to support for another statement
deductively valid argument - Answers - if premises were true, the conclusion would have
to be true
P1: If A than B
P2: A - Answers - Conclusion: B
P1: All A's are B's
P2: All C's are A's - Answers - Conclustion: All C's are B's
What 2 conditions make a deductively valid argument good? - Answers - 1) sound
2) non-circular
circular argument - Answers - when the argument's conclusion appears as a premise
sound argument - Answers - when the argument's premises are true
What are the 2 types of not deductively valid arguments? - Answers - Inductive and
Abductive
inductive argument - Answers - involve making description of some sample and
extending description to items outside the sample
ex. 60% of county voters called are Democrats
60% of county voters are Democrats
abductive argument - Answers - inference to best explanation
ex. Sherlock Holmes'
natural philosophy - Answers - tried to give the "naturalistic"/scientific explanation of the
real world
examples of natural philosophers - Answers - Thales; Anaxagoras
sophists - Answers - itinerant teachers of 'virtue'; held relativistic views; there are no
absolutes
examples of sophists - Answers - Protagoras; Thrasymachus; Gorgias
What do Plato and Socrates think of Gorgias - Answers - horrified by idea that truth is
relative to the person; thinks they talk pretty but don't know what they're saying
, elenchus - Answers - cross-examining someone else; gets interlocutor to offer some
possible answer to a question; asks the person various questions, and gets them to
refute themselves
Key philosophical issues in the Meno - Answers - "Cant virtue be taught?" -> "What is
virtue?" -> Deals with quest about knowledge
Meno's different definitions of virtue - Answers - 1. virtue of a man is different than a
virtue of a woman and a virtue of a child
2. to be able to rule over people
3. justice is virtue
4. to desire good things and having capacity to secure them
Problem with virtue of man/woman/child - Answers - definition of virtue should capture
some form that all cases share
Problem with virtue is to rule over people - Answers - tyrannical; too broad and
inclusive; does not cover virtuous slaves
Problem with justice is virtue - Answers - circular definition; only part of term you're
defining; not sure what justice is exactly
Problem with virtue to desire good things and having capacity to secure them - Answers
- definition is not informative (what are good things?); everybody desires good things
Requirements for a good definition of 'x' - Answers - 1) apply to all and only instances of
'x'
2) capture the 'form' of x, the property or feature that all instances of c have in common
3) not use the work 'x' or words for "parts" of 'x' (circular)
4) be formulated in terms that are familiar to the audience and that have a clear
meaning
5) not contain unnecessary or trivially true info
Meno's Paradox reconstructed argument - Answers - P1: either you know the answer to
a given question or you don't
P2: if you know the answer to a question, then you can't inquire into it so as to lean the
answer to it
P3: if you don't know the answer, then you can't inquire into it so as to learn the answer
Conclusion: you can't inquire into it so as to learn the answer
Is Meno's paradox D valid? - Answers - Yes
Does Socrates this Meno's paradox is a good argument? - Answers - No
Recollection theory of learning - Answers - learn answer to math or philosophical
question, we are remembering knowledge what we have once forgotten
argument - Answers - set of premises intended to support for another statement
deductively valid argument - Answers - if premises were true, the conclusion would have
to be true
P1: If A than B
P2: A - Answers - Conclusion: B
P1: All A's are B's
P2: All C's are A's - Answers - Conclustion: All C's are B's
What 2 conditions make a deductively valid argument good? - Answers - 1) sound
2) non-circular
circular argument - Answers - when the argument's conclusion appears as a premise
sound argument - Answers - when the argument's premises are true
What are the 2 types of not deductively valid arguments? - Answers - Inductive and
Abductive
inductive argument - Answers - involve making description of some sample and
extending description to items outside the sample
ex. 60% of county voters called are Democrats
60% of county voters are Democrats
abductive argument - Answers - inference to best explanation
ex. Sherlock Holmes'
natural philosophy - Answers - tried to give the "naturalistic"/scientific explanation of the
real world
examples of natural philosophers - Answers - Thales; Anaxagoras
sophists - Answers - itinerant teachers of 'virtue'; held relativistic views; there are no
absolutes
examples of sophists - Answers - Protagoras; Thrasymachus; Gorgias
What do Plato and Socrates think of Gorgias - Answers - horrified by idea that truth is
relative to the person; thinks they talk pretty but don't know what they're saying
, elenchus - Answers - cross-examining someone else; gets interlocutor to offer some
possible answer to a question; asks the person various questions, and gets them to
refute themselves
Key philosophical issues in the Meno - Answers - "Cant virtue be taught?" -> "What is
virtue?" -> Deals with quest about knowledge
Meno's different definitions of virtue - Answers - 1. virtue of a man is different than a
virtue of a woman and a virtue of a child
2. to be able to rule over people
3. justice is virtue
4. to desire good things and having capacity to secure them
Problem with virtue of man/woman/child - Answers - definition of virtue should capture
some form that all cases share
Problem with virtue is to rule over people - Answers - tyrannical; too broad and
inclusive; does not cover virtuous slaves
Problem with justice is virtue - Answers - circular definition; only part of term you're
defining; not sure what justice is exactly
Problem with virtue to desire good things and having capacity to secure them - Answers
- definition is not informative (what are good things?); everybody desires good things
Requirements for a good definition of 'x' - Answers - 1) apply to all and only instances of
'x'
2) capture the 'form' of x, the property or feature that all instances of c have in common
3) not use the work 'x' or words for "parts" of 'x' (circular)
4) be formulated in terms that are familiar to the audience and that have a clear
meaning
5) not contain unnecessary or trivially true info
Meno's Paradox reconstructed argument - Answers - P1: either you know the answer to
a given question or you don't
P2: if you know the answer to a question, then you can't inquire into it so as to lean the
answer to it
P3: if you don't know the answer, then you can't inquire into it so as to learn the answer
Conclusion: you can't inquire into it so as to learn the answer
Is Meno's paradox D valid? - Answers - Yes
Does Socrates this Meno's paradox is a good argument? - Answers - No
Recollection theory of learning - Answers - learn answer to math or philosophical
question, we are remembering knowledge what we have once forgotten
