Ch. 4: Renaissance Science and Philosophy

Question 1

Humanism refers to an intense interest in _________ __________

Answer 1

Human Beings

Question 2

The four major themes of Renaissance humanism are:

Answer 2

• Individualism
• Personal religion
• Intense interest in the Past
• Anti-Aristotlianism

Question 3

True or False?

The men whose writings mark the beginning of the Renaissance (Petrarch, Pico, Erasmus) all share in common a lack of belief in or value of faith in God

Answer 3

False

Question 4

All but which of the following men believed in a doctrine of predestination, thereby giving little room to free will (pick one):

Augustine
Erasmus
Luther

Answer 4

Erasmus

Question 5

Like the Greek Pyrrho of Ellis, Michel de Montaigne’s philosophical outlook was an extreme ______________.

Answer 5

Skepticism

Question 6

Name 3 factors mentioned in the text that account for the reawakening of a spirit of objective inquiry (and an accompanying weakening of the authority of the church) during the Renaissance

Answer 6

1. Aquinas acceptance of reason and the examination of of nature as ways of knowing God.
2. Exploration and contact with other peoples
3. Humanist philosophy recaptured the spirit of open inquiry reflected in the Greeks, and stressed the human potential to act upon the world and change it for the better

Question 7

Copernicus’ belief that the earth revolved around the sun is called the _______________ theory

Answer 7

Heliocentric theory

Question 8

In keeping with Galileo’s thinking, match the following concepts:

a. Primary qualities ______ objective reality
b. Secondary qualities ______ subjective reality

Answer 8

Objective Reality – Primary qualities

Subjective Reality – Secondary qualties

Question 9

Deism, popular in Newton’s time, is the belief that _________________________ .

Answer 9

God created the universe but then “let it be”.

Question 10

According to Francis Bacon, the ultimate authority in science was ______________ ______________

Answer 10

Direct observation

Question 11

Francis Bacon’s four sources of error, or “idols” that could creep into scientific investigations were:

Answer 11

1. Idols of the Cave
2. Idols of the Tribe
3. Idols of the Marketplace
4. Idols of the Theatre

Question 12

René Descartes’ philosophy may be described by all but which one of the following terms (pick one)?

Nativistic
Monistic
Phenomenological
Mechanistic

Answer 12

Monistic

Question 13

Define Positivism

Answer 13

belief that only those objects or events can be experienced directly should be the object of scientific inquiry

Question 14

The belief that knowledge is derived from experience is called ________________________

Answer 14

Empiricism

Question 15

True or False?

Thomas Hobbes could be described as a materialist, mechanist and hedonist

Answer 15

True

Question 16

True or False?

John Locke followed the tradition of Plato and Descartes in postulating the presence of innate ideas

Answer 16

False

Question 17

What did George Berkeley see as the philosophy that was pushing God farther and farther out?

Answer 17

Materialistic Philosophy

Question 18

Like other empiricists, David Hume believed that the contents of the mind come from __________ .

Answer 18

Experience

Question 19

In his theory of Associationism, what 2 factors did James Mill believe were responsible for the strength of associations?

Question 20

True or False?

John Stuart Mill is notable for his belief that psychology could never become a true science

Answer 20

False

Question 21

True or False?

La Mettrie believed that his predecessor René Descartes was really a mechanist like himself, but hid those beliefs for fear of religious persecution

Answer 21

True

Question 22

The belief that science, not religion, is best suited to solve human problems is called __________

Answer 22

Scientism

Question 23

What are the 3 stages of development that Auguste Conte believed all societies pass through?

Answer 23

Theological

Metaphysical

Scientific

Question 24

True or False?

Empiricism and Rationalism are such different perspectives on man and the world, that a clear distinction always exists between the two

Answer 24

False

Question 25

Spinoza’s account of the mind‐body relationship held that both were ________________________________ _________________________. This view has been called an example of ______________ ______________

Answer 25

inseperable; double aspectism

Question 26

Leibniz’s view of the mind‐body relationship held that God created the universe to be in perfect harmony, though nothing in the universe actually influences anything else. This view is an example of __________________ ___________________

Answer 26

Preestablished harmony

Question 27

For faculty psychologists (or philosophers) like Thomas Reid, is the mind seen as _____ active, or ____ passive?

Answer 27

Active

Question 28

Kant’s moral precept that we should always act in such a way that the maxims governing our moral decisions could be used as a guide for everyone else’s moral behavior is called: ___ _______________ _______________

Answer 28

Categorical imperative

Question 29

What are 2 reasons Kant did not believe psychology could become an experimental science?

Answer 29

The mind could not be objectively studied

The mind cannot be studied using introspection because it cannot be still to be analyzed.