Chapter 2: The Pre-Socratic Flashcards
What is the best definition of the Presocratic sophos?
a. A character in ancient Greek plays known for comedic acts b. A wise person in early Greek civilization who used reason and observation to understand the world c. A professional teacher who charges fees for philosophical education d. A mythical figure known for heroic deeds in Greek mythology
b. A wise person in early Greek civilization who used reason and observation to understand the world
How were sophoi typically perceived by society in ancient Greece?
a. As highly respected political figures b. As military leaders best suited for combat c. As divine beings with supernatural powers d. As odd and out of touch with daily life
d. As odd and out of touch with daily life
The Greek term archē can best be described by which of the following?
a. It is the fundamental principle or element from which everything else originates. b. It is the scientific process for studying transformations of elements of reality. c. It means mythological explanations. d. It refers to the elite Philosophers Club of Thales, Anaximenes, Hericlitus, Democritus, Leucippus, and Anaximenes.
a. It is the fundamental principle or element from which everything else originates.
Why were the Presocratics so important in the history of philosophical thought?
a. The Presocratics were the first to prove that monism is the only rational explanation. b. Unfortunately, their thoughts were too distant and complex to be important. c. The Presocratics laid the groundwork for the future of philosophical and scientific theories by using reason to explain the world. d. Their search for a single, underlying substance or principle reflects their subjective desires; this was helpful for science in understanding that we cannot actually be objective.
c. The Presocratics laid the groundwork for the future of philosophical and scientific theories by using reason to explain the world.
Which philosopher noticed that water was the source for all life?
a. Anaximenes
b. Thales
c. Heraclitus
d. Democritus
b. Thales
What do Lao-tzu and Anaximander have in common?
a. Both were mystics that believed in the ineffable nature of reality. b. They do not share common attributes: Anaximander was a monist and Lao-tzu was a pluralist. c. Both wrote very influential and poetic books that explain the nature of intuition and truth. d. The apeiron and yin and yang both engage in a continuous cycle of mutual destruction and reparation, maintaining a balance in nature.
d. The apeiron and yin and yang both engage in a continuous cycle of mutual destruction and reparation, maintaining a balance in nature.
Anaximenes asserted that the primary substance of the universe consists of which of the following?
a. Water
b. Earth
c. Fire
d. Air
d. Air
How does Heraclitus describe the relationship between humans and Logos?
a. The Logos actively care for each individual. b. Logos is a force that humans can control. c. The Logos operate independently of human concerns. d. The Logos require human understanding to function.
c. The Logos operate independently of human concerns.
What similarities or connections can be made between Lao-tzu and Heraclitus?
a. Both were sages who understood God as an entity through which we can understand the world. b. Both focus on change, both think that the nature of the universe is often misunderstood, and both use poetic language. c. Both heavily rely on the intellect to understand the nature of reality, both think that anthropomorphism is required, and both reject monism. d. Both have ideologies informed by their belief in reincarnation.
b. Both focus on change, both think that the nature of the universe is often misunderstood, and both use poetic language.
Heraclitus asserts that “you cannot step in the same river twice.” What did he mean by this?
a. Even though things might appear to be constant, there is an ongoing change. b. It is foolish to try and go to the same river twice. c. One can relive the past if they step in the same river twice. d. The only things that truly change are rivers.
a. Even though things might appear to be constant, there is an ongoing change.
What is the difference between cosmology and ontology?
a. Ontologists explore evolution and cosmologists explore existence. b. Cosmology is concerned with the study of the universe and the cosmos, whereas ontologists study the nature of being. c. Cosmologists study the sun and moon signs. Ontologists study the pairings of signs in relationships. d. Cosmology delves into the myths and stories that explain how the universe or these systems came to be, whereas ontology covers the diaspora of the storytellers.
b. Cosmology is concerned with the study of the universe and the cosmos, whereas ontologists study the nature of being.
Which of the following are challenged by the monism subscribed to by Parmenides and Zeno?
a. The existence of a soul or psyche b. Multiple independent realities c. The existence of logic and reason d. A monotheistic God
b. Multiple independent realities
What is the purpose of the paradox of “Achilles and Tortoise”?
a. To illuminate the complexity and beauty of mathematics b. To show how our senses cannot fail us because reality is presented to us through our senses c. To assist Parmenides in proving his concept of being d. To show the logical contradictions in a world with constant change and multiple realities
d. To show the logical contradictions in a world with constant change and multiple realities
How would Parmenides respond to the creation story in the Old Testament in the Bible where the world was created out of nothing?
a. Parmenides would appreciate the story of Adam and Eve: Adam became divisible by creating Eve from his rib. This would impress Parmenides and prove that change does indeed exist. b. Parmenides would be on board with the idea that God created everything because he is a monist. c. Parmenides would respond, "ex nihilo nihil fit—nothing comes from nothing." d. Parmenides would subscribe to a self-existent being who created all other beings.
c. Parmenides would respond, “ex nihilo nihil fit—nothing comes from nothing.”
What is the role of Love and Strife for Empedocles’s ontology?
a. Love and Strife are another paradox that helps to prove why monism is correct. b. Love and Strife explain the process of God's love through separation. When the elements are separate, God is showing love, and when they come together, the chaos illuminates strife. c. It explains how life is suffering, and in order to prevent suffering, you must extinguish your desires. d. Love and Strife create a cyclical nature where the four unchanging elements—air, water, fire, and earth—develop different combinations through changing places.
d. Love and Strife create a cyclical nature where the four unchanging elements—air, water, fire, and earth—develop different combinations through changing places.
What did Anaxagoras posit “as that which sets all things in order,” replacing Empedocles’s Love and Strife hypothesis?
a. Psyche
b. Nous
c. Perception
d. Growth
b. Nous
What is Democritus’s view of the void?
a. Space can be empty without being empty of being. b. Space refers to areas of "light being." c. Space and being are the same thing. d. Space cannot be empty because to be "empty" is to be empty of "being," and not-being cannot exist.
a. Space can be empty without being empty of being.
How do things come into existence according to Democritus?
a. They come into existence when space is sufficient to contain them. b. They come into existence when atoms combine in a certain way. c. They come into existence when atoms become so "full" they explode. d. They come into existence when Nous decrees that they shall.
b. They come into existence when atoms combine in a certain way.
What is Leucippus known for?
a. He was known as the originator of atomism. b. He thought the underlying principle of the cosmos was pneuma or air. c. He jumped in a volcano because he thought he was immortal. d. He was known for introducing the concept apeiron meaning "unchanging and eternal."
a. He was known as the originator of atomism.
How would Democritus explain why we have the experience of tasting food that is either sweet or tart?
a. It is an objective fact. b. You are experiencing the inherent properties of the atoms themselves. c. Those experiences are merely conventions, the meaning we have attributed to an experience that is not inherent. d. Your experience is determined by the size and shape of the atoms.
c. Those experiences are merely conventions, the meaning we have attributed to an experience that is not inherent.
Which philosopher is known for the beliefs that the world is an ordered whole and the fundamental principle is numbers?
a. Pythagoras of Samos
b. Empedocles
c. Heraclitus
d. Parmenides of Elea
a. Pythagoras of Samos
What is significant about Aesara of Lucania?
a. She took over Pythagoras's school after he died. This was a great honor for a woman. b. She was a woman sophos. Her ideas were largely ignored for centuries, but they offer a valuable perspective on the human condition by integrating humanism alongside reason. c. She was an underground rogue feminist philosopher in ancient Greece during a time when women were not allowed to be educated and were prevented from contributing to philosophy. d. She was a scribe in ancient Greece. She followed the Pythagoreans around and documented their philosophical ideas.
b. She was a woman sophos. Her ideas were largely ignored for centuries, but they offer a valuable perspective on the human condition by integrating humanism alongside reason.
What was a fundamental problem for the Presocratic philosopher?
a. Accounting for change from one kind of thing into another b. Discovering uniform laws of logic c. Accounting for the existence of different gods while not rejecting the new scientific theories d. Making a living in a religion-dominated culture
a. Accounting for change from one kind of thing into another
According to Aesara of Lucania, what reveals the natural foundation of all law and the structure of morality?
a. Motherly love
b. Astronomical regularity
c. Contemplation of the human soul
d. Cycles of birth, death, and rebirth
c. Contemplation of the human soul
In what ways have the ancient sages and the Presocratics impacted the contemporary world?
a. Their willingness to question the world around them and seek explanations laid the groundwork for scientific progress. b. Their reliance on religious texts for explanations is still a method used by many. c. Their focus on logic and reason limited their understanding of the natural world, so we begin with them but have expanded to a more holistic approach that includes emotions and intuition. d. Their explanations were based on superstition and magic, but they got us started in searching for explanations for the foundations of all existence.
a. Their willingness to question the world around them and seek explanations laid the groundwork for scientific progress.
