Philosophy Questions for Exam
5. Provide a Gettier-Style Counterexample to the Traditional Account of Knowledge. Be sure to explain precisely how the example is a counterexample.
6. What is Hume’s Problem of Induction? How does Hume attempt to address the problem? Is his treatment effective? Explain and defend your answer.
7. What is Goodman’s New Problem of Induction? What consequences does this problem have for the philosophy of science?
8.How does Hume address the problem of skepticism with regard to the senses? Is his treatment satisfactory? Explain and Defend.
9. How does Descartes argue for the distinction between substance as mind and substance as body? Is his argument sound? Explain and Defend.
10. Explain the problem of Divine Foreknowledge and Free Will. Is free will inconsistent with Divine Omniscience? Explain and defend.
PHIL Study Guide
Descartes Cogito – “I think therefore I am,” Cannot doubt owns existence because one is doing the doubting themselves.
Epistemic Problem of Evil – How to reconcile the existence of evil with an omnibenevolent, omniscient, and omnipotent God.
Logically Impossible – Evil and God cannot coexist
Evidentially – Given evil in the world
Natural – Animal suffering, human cruelty
Descartes Response – We are not able to fully grasp or understand God’s actions as the created (Children/Parent Doctor analogy)
Descartes Argument Third Mediation – Descartes proves god existence and says that he is not a deceiver, because allowing us to perceive things clearly and distinctly
allows us to be sure that we are not being deceived.
Is Descartes 5th meditation reasoning fit and sound? – No, because when applied, anything thought of in the mind no matter how fictitious or chimerical, would have to
exist. (insert funny exam grade joke)
