PHIL 101 - Final Exam UPDATED
ACTUAL QUESTIONS AND CORRECT
ANSWERS
What is Philosophy? What is a philosophical question? What sorts of methods might a
philosopher use to explore questions? - CORRECT ANSWER Philosophy is an activity
that seeks to understand abstract questions that cannot be answered using things like
mathematics or experimental science. And it's a set of tools and methods that are particularly
useful in trying to answer those types of questions. So it's both a set of questions or topics and
also a set of tools or methods.
Philosophy is like all other studies that aim primarily at knowledge whether it is critical
examination, prejudices, and beliefs.
Philosophy is about asking questions which are already capable of definite answers placed in
the sciences.
The value of philosophy is that there are infinite amount of answers to a certain question.
Russell states that philosophy should be studied not for complete answers because many
questions can have many answers. Questions lead to more conceptual questions to ask.
There's also a set of philosophical habits, disciplines, and values that guide philosophers in
their explorations of those topics. So defining philosophy is about as hard as defining any of
the concepts that we explore in philosophy or using philosophy.
What are some of Zeno's paradoxes? - CORRECT ANSWER We got from the claims
that seem to be true to a claim that couldn't be true.
So we start with claims that seems like it must be true or are told they're true.
,A claim that couldn't be true.
So this is a paradox or something seemingly cannot be true, but seems nevertheless to have
been entailed or implied by a set of statements that seemed true.
This helps us get a sense of what an argument is.
An argument is a set of statements that entail are caused us to believe a further statement
called the conclusion. So a argument is a set of premises that support a conclusion.
Philosophy is in some sense the science of arguments and argumentations.
The study of how good arguments work and what bad arguments look like.
Logic is a branch of philosophy that studies in particular kind of argument called a deductive
argument, particular type of argument.
What is the central paradox of Lewis Carrol's "What the Tortoise Said to Achilles"? -
CORRECT ANSWER Helps to really understand the Achilles and the Tortoise paradox
Tortoise suggests that there's an example in logic that is like the race paradox in that it will
take an infinite number steps to get to the conclusion
The central problem is that logical relationships aren't just further facts added to an argument,
they're movements from premises to conclusions.
, We're getting from the premises to the conclusion. But on reflection it's not clear how we're
doing it.
How did we get to the conclusion?
Well we can recognize that there's link between the premises and the conclusion such that I
need to accept that conclusion if I accept the premises.
So add and another premise saying, well if you accept the premises, you must accept that
conclusion.
It keeps going until infinity.
So you get this self iterating, re, reiterating process that creates a sort of infinite regress, an
infinite loop of reasoning. It seems like moving from the premises to the conclusion is a kind
of activity.
Recognizing good reasoning is somehow more than memorizing a series of cliams are facts.
Philosophy at developing that skill, but its hard and it takes time to grasp more complex
arguments.
What is Buddha's basic outlook on life and the goal of life as encompassed in the four noble
truths? - CORRECT ANSWER The Buddha gave his teaching "for the good of the
many, for the happiness of the many, out of compassion for the world.
Walpola describes that the way of life to be followed, practiced, and developed by each
individual. It is self-discipline in body, word, and mind, self-development, and self-
purification which leads to the realization of Ultimate Reality.
Walpola describes the Ultimate Realization as the key to complete freedom, happiness, and
peace through moral, spiritual, and intellectual perfection.
ACTUAL QUESTIONS AND CORRECT
ANSWERS
What is Philosophy? What is a philosophical question? What sorts of methods might a
philosopher use to explore questions? - CORRECT ANSWER Philosophy is an activity
that seeks to understand abstract questions that cannot be answered using things like
mathematics or experimental science. And it's a set of tools and methods that are particularly
useful in trying to answer those types of questions. So it's both a set of questions or topics and
also a set of tools or methods.
Philosophy is like all other studies that aim primarily at knowledge whether it is critical
examination, prejudices, and beliefs.
Philosophy is about asking questions which are already capable of definite answers placed in
the sciences.
The value of philosophy is that there are infinite amount of answers to a certain question.
Russell states that philosophy should be studied not for complete answers because many
questions can have many answers. Questions lead to more conceptual questions to ask.
There's also a set of philosophical habits, disciplines, and values that guide philosophers in
their explorations of those topics. So defining philosophy is about as hard as defining any of
the concepts that we explore in philosophy or using philosophy.
What are some of Zeno's paradoxes? - CORRECT ANSWER We got from the claims
that seem to be true to a claim that couldn't be true.
So we start with claims that seems like it must be true or are told they're true.
,A claim that couldn't be true.
So this is a paradox or something seemingly cannot be true, but seems nevertheless to have
been entailed or implied by a set of statements that seemed true.
This helps us get a sense of what an argument is.
An argument is a set of statements that entail are caused us to believe a further statement
called the conclusion. So a argument is a set of premises that support a conclusion.
Philosophy is in some sense the science of arguments and argumentations.
The study of how good arguments work and what bad arguments look like.
Logic is a branch of philosophy that studies in particular kind of argument called a deductive
argument, particular type of argument.
What is the central paradox of Lewis Carrol's "What the Tortoise Said to Achilles"? -
CORRECT ANSWER Helps to really understand the Achilles and the Tortoise paradox
Tortoise suggests that there's an example in logic that is like the race paradox in that it will
take an infinite number steps to get to the conclusion
The central problem is that logical relationships aren't just further facts added to an argument,
they're movements from premises to conclusions.
, We're getting from the premises to the conclusion. But on reflection it's not clear how we're
doing it.
How did we get to the conclusion?
Well we can recognize that there's link between the premises and the conclusion such that I
need to accept that conclusion if I accept the premises.
So add and another premise saying, well if you accept the premises, you must accept that
conclusion.
It keeps going until infinity.
So you get this self iterating, re, reiterating process that creates a sort of infinite regress, an
infinite loop of reasoning. It seems like moving from the premises to the conclusion is a kind
of activity.
Recognizing good reasoning is somehow more than memorizing a series of cliams are facts.
Philosophy at developing that skill, but its hard and it takes time to grasp more complex
arguments.
What is Buddha's basic outlook on life and the goal of life as encompassed in the four noble
truths? - CORRECT ANSWER The Buddha gave his teaching "for the good of the
many, for the happiness of the many, out of compassion for the world.
Walpola describes that the way of life to be followed, practiced, and developed by each
individual. It is self-discipline in body, word, and mind, self-development, and self-
purification which leads to the realization of Ultimate Reality.
Walpola describes the Ultimate Realization as the key to complete freedom, happiness, and
peace through moral, spiritual, and intellectual perfection.
