Midterm Exam Study Guide Flashcards
What is the lowest level of truth for Plato?
a. Reasoning
b. Perception
c. Imagination
d. Understanding
c. Imagination
Of particular concern to Augustine was the pride of place that classical Greeks gave to what?
a. Human will
b. Political power
c. The sage
d. Nature
c. The sage
What is evil, according to Aquinas?
a. A privation of good
b. A source of wisdom
c. The lack of insight
d. Positive quality of malice
a. A privation of good
What is the conclusion in Aquinas’s argument from motion?
a. God necessarily exists as The First Cause.
b. God necessarily exists as The Unmoved Mover.
c. God necessarily exists as a qualitatively unique kind of being.
d. God necessarily exists as a non-contingent being.
b. God necessarily exists as The Unmoved Mover.
What is Aquinas’s “First Way”?
a. Argument from cause
b. Argument from motion
c. Argument from degree
d. Argument from necessity
b. Argument from motion
What is the excess of which cowardice represents the deficiency, according to Aristotle’s virtues?
a. Gluttony
b. Foolhardiness
c. Vanity
d. Wildness
b. Foolhardiness
What term do we get from the Greek word for “soul”?
a. Philosophy
b. Chemistry
c. Psychology
d. Humanism
c. Psychology
Which philosopher was a former slave?
a. Aristotle
b. Epicurus
c. Diogenes
d. Epictetus
d. Epictetus
Anaxagoras held that all things which have life were ruled by what?
a. Appetite
b. Mind
c. Spirit
d. Wil
b. Mind
What is the epistemological state for apprehending Forms in Plato’s highest level of reality?
a. Understanding
b. Reasoning
c. Perception
d. Imagination
a. Understanding
Aristotle believed that change could be explained by what concept?
a. Hylomorphism
b. Platonic dualism
c. Heraclitean “becoming”
d. Spontaneous generation
a. Hylomorphism
Aristotle said that the Sophist makes money from what?
a. Unreal wisdom
b. Sound logic
c. Ancient truths
d. Naive disciples
a. Unreal wisdom
The belief that right and wrong are determined by the unique experiences and preferences of the individual is called
what?
a. Cultural relativism
b. Individual relativism
c. Moral egoism
d. Descriptive egoism
b. Individual relativism
According to Chuang-tzu, what are all things longing for?
a. Peace
b. Prosperity
c. Life
d. Love
c. Life
What Chinese term refers to the traditional rules of conduct in war?
a. Jen
b. Li
c. Dao
d. Yang
b. Li
According to Empedocles, how many basic components does reality consist of?
a. 2
b. 4
c. 6
d. 8
b. 4
The Buddha wrote that “a person does not belong to” what?
a. This world
b. The gods
c. Another person
d. Himself
c. Another person
What is the belief that all values are culturally determined called?
a. Cultural relativism
b. Individual relativism
c. Moral egoism
d. Descriptive egoism
a. Cultural relativism
Naturalism denies the existence of what?
a. A distinct supernatural order of reality
b. Mathematical relations
c. Fixed laws and principles
d. A human soul (psyche)
a. A distinct supernatural order of reality
The sage is an archetypal figure who combines a love of wisdom with what?
a. Spiritual inspiration
b. Practical experience
c. Prudence
d. Theoretical knowledge
b. Practical experience
Who was the author of the philosophical work On the Harmony of Women?
a. Perictione (Plato’s mother)
b. Socrates (Plato’s mentor)
c. Glaucon (Plato’s brother)
d. Aristocles (Plato’s given name)
a. Perictione (Plato’s mother)
In Buddhism, what is the law of moral causation called?
a. Dogma
b. Li
c. Vinya
d. Karma
d. Karma
How many sons did Socrates have?
a. One
b. None
c. Three
d. Seven
c. Three
What is the difference between the ancient Greek sophos and the sophist as teachers?
a. Sophists were professionals.
b. Sophists were amateurs.
c. Sophists were wanderers.
d. Sophists were foreigners.
a. Sophists were professionals.
To whom did Marcus Aurelius address his Meditations?
a. To his sons
b. To his soldiers
c. To his wife
d. To himself
d. To himself
What did Heraclitus think was unchanging?
a. Fire
b. Order
c. Change
d. Goodness
c. Change
For his efforts to synthesize early Christian theology with his own understanding of Platonic philosophy and
Manichean dualism, Aurelius Augustine was described as what?
a. A colossus
b. A genius
c. A saint
d. A heretic
a. A colossus
Which of the following best represents the Platonic Form of “circularity”?
a. 2πr (the mathematical definition of a circle’s circumference)
b. The clock on my wall
c. A particular disc
d. A circle drawn on a chalkboard
a. 2πr (the mathematical definition of a circle’s circumference)
Socrates was poisoned by what?
a. Conine
b. Strychnine
c. Heroin
d. Cyanide
a. Conine
What did Plato predict would happen when the “democratic mob” elects a tyrant to rule over them?
a. The tyrant will turn his power against the mob.
b. The tyrant will give the mob everything it wants.
c. The tyrant will ignore the mob.
d. The mob will eventually overthrow the tyrant
a. The tyrant will turn his power against the mob.
What do we call the interplay of carefully argued ideas that distinguished the first philosophers?
a. Ideology
b. Transcendental contemplation
c. Cosmology
d. Rational discourse
d. Rational discourse
Which of the following is false about Socrates’s relationship with Alcibiades (according to the historical sources)?
a. Alcibiades was present at Socrates’s death.
b. Alcibiades said he would almost be happy to learn that Socrates was dead.
c. Alcibiades loved Socrates.
d. Alcibiades was a military general
a. Alcibiades was present at Socrates’s death.
Stoicism is a philosophy that counsels:
a. self-control.
b. the pursuit of pleasure.
c. passion.
d. Agnosticism.
a. self-control.
Because Stoic literature is sometimes imprecise in its description of “fate,” it is important to be sensitive to the
distinction between control and what?
a. Influence
b. Submission
c. Natural law
d. Duty
b. Submission
The Greek word for cause, aitia, means:
a. “the reason for something happening.”
b. “the stuff of which a thing is made.”
c. “that which initiates activity.”
d. “the ultimate purpose for which a thing exists.”
a. “the reason for something happening.”
Marcus Aurelius held that everything that happens is:
a. normal and expected.
b. tragedy.
c. for the best.
d. the work of powerful men
a. normal and expected.
Today, the term “cynical” usually implies what?
a. A basic attitude of contempt
b. A basic attitude of joy
c. A basic attitude of humility
d. A basic attitude of pride
a. A basic attitude of contempt
What is love of learning akin to, according to Confucius?
a. Love of self
b. Wisdom
c. Altruism
d. Sobriety
b. Wisdom
For Aristotle, happiness contains an element of what?
a. Risk
b. Luck
c. Illness
d. Devotion
b. Luck
Which of the Asian sages sought high political office to combat social decline?
a. Lao-tzu
b. Confucius
c. The Buddha
d. Chuang-tzu
b. Confucius
The “argument from gradation” is another name for:
a. Aquinas’s “First Way.”
b. Aquinas’s “Second Way.”
c. Aquinas’s “Third Way.”
d. Aquinas’s “Fourth Way.”
d. Aquinas’s “Fourth Way.”
What methods were the first philosophers noted for in their attempts to “figure out” how the world works?
a. Religion and mythology
b. Observation and reason
c. Tradition and convention
d. Intuition and conversation
b. Observation and reason
What is the name given to any philosophy that emphasizes human welfare and dignity?
a. Humanism
b. Asceticism
c. Karma
d. Altruism
a. Humanism
What did Socrates call persons who sold their wisdom for money?
a. Furies of Hades
b. Harbingers of doom
c. Corrupters of the youth
d. Prostitutes of wisdom
d. Prostitutes of wisdom
Who was Xanthippe?
a. Socrates’s mentor
b. Socrates’s mother
c. Socrates’s wife
d. Socrates’s mistress
c. Socrates’s wife
What is the good to which all humans aspire, according to Aristotle?
a. Virtue
b. Pleasure
c. Happiness
d. Love
c. Happiness
What did Plato define as the “excellence of function for the whole”?
a. Justice
b. Health
c. Virtue
d. Security
a. Justice
Which of the following are our two main sources of information about Socrates’s life and teachings?
a. Aristophanes and Socrates
b. Plato and Xenophon
c. Plato and Socrates
d. Aristophanes and Xenophon
b. Plato and Xenophon
What is the term invented by ancient Greeks to mock people who spoke other languages?
a. Barbarian
b. Ignoramus
c. Sophist
d. Gyges
a. Barbarian
What did the Stoics choose to master?
a. Their own minds
b. The Roman Empire
c. The physical universe
d. Nothing
a. Their own minds
What is the opposite of Confucius’ chun-tzu?
a. The hsiao-jen
b. Lao-tzu
c. The yang
d. The literati
a. The hsiao-jen
According to Augustine, what is the key flaw in Stoic philosophy?
a. The Stoic’s faith is in himself.
b. Stoicism is emotionless.
c. The Stoic life is too ascetic.
d. Stoics hate religion
a. The Stoic’s faith is in himself.
Whose teachings are recorded in Enchiridion?
a. Epicurus’s
b. Epictetus’s
c. Arrianus’s
d. Aristotle’s
b. Epictetus’s
Which of the following is true of Platonic Forms?
a. They are mind-independent.
b. They are spatial.
c. They are temporal.
d. They are sensory
a. They are mind-independent.
Ontology is the study of what?
a. Becoming
b. Being
c. Change
d. Strife
b. Being
Who won the “beauty contest” in Xenophon’s Symposium (Xenophon’s account of Socrates’s life and teachings)?
a. Plato
b. Crito
c. Critobulus
d. Socrates
c. Critobulus
Which of the following was true of Socrates?
a. He was good at rhetoric.
b. He accepted payment from students.
c. He had no students.
d. He was a good lecturer.
a. He was good at rhetoric.
Anaximander held that the earth was originally what?
a. Fluid
b. Fire
c. Dust
d. Sky
a. Fluid
Socrates claimed Diotima taught him that wisdom was what kind of state?
a. A human state
b. A mystical state
c. A peaceful state
d. A divine stat
a. A human state
What does the term “natural” mean to Aquinas?
a. Worldly
b. Divine
c. Sloppy
d. Creative
a. Worldly
Heraclitus’ idea of Logos can be seen as the Western expression of what concept from the Asian sages?
a. Yin
b. Yang
c. Dharma
d. Tao
d. Tao
For Confucius, what does the example of the Chun-tzu represent?
a. The morally superior man
b. The vulgar man
c. The wealthiest man
d. The most intelligent man
a. The morally superior man
What are moral virtues, according to Aristotle?
a. Habits
b. Decisions
c. Inborn
d. Spasms
a. Habits
Where did Aquinas receive his master’s degree from?
a. The University of Paris
b. Vatican University
c. The Benedictine school at Montecassino
d. The University in Cologne
a. The University of Paris
The Sophists differed from the sophos in that Sophists turned from the study of nature to the formal study of what?
a. Human conduct
b. Business practices
c. Religious doctrine
d. Epic poetry
a. Human conduct
The Tao refers to:
a. moral truth.
b. a system.
c. a way of life.
d. a path of righteousness.
c. a way of life.
What is the belief that the customs and beliefs of one’s own culture are inherently superior to all others called?
a. Ethnocentrism
b. Racism
c. Multiculturalism
d. Tyranny
a. Ethnocentrism
Seneca wrote that liberty never comes how?
a. By night
b. By luck
c. Free
d. Instantly
c. Free
How did the Sophists affect Athenian education?
a. They made it more democratic.
b. They made it less democratic.
c. They made it more aristocratic.
d. They made it less intellectual.
a. They made it more democratic.
The teleological argument is also called what?
a. The argument from motion
b. The argument from soul
c. The argument from causes
d. The argument from design
d. The argument from design
Aristotle believed that the universe (nature):
a. is inherently purposeful.
b. follows the plan of a God.
c. gets order and purpose from Platonic Forms.
d. is purposeless and chaotic
a. is inherently purposeful.
What directs the course of our lives, according to Stoics?
a. We do
b. Logos
c. Logic
d. Others’ acts
b. Logos
Why were immigrants attracted to ancient Athens?
a. Because of its reputation as a trading center
b. Because of its reputation for chauvinism
c. Because of its reputation for being welcoming to women
d. Because of its reputation as a tolerant city
a. Because of its reputation as a trading center
How many categories of needs does a just state meet, according to Plato’s Republic?
a. 3
b. 5
c. 7
d. 9
a. 3
Which Hellenistic school of thought focused on the idea that pleasure consists in freedom from bodily pain and
mental agitation?
a. Cyreniac hedonism
b. Epicureanism
c. Pyrrhonian skepticism
d. Cynicism
b. Epicureanism
According to Stoicism, all unhappiness is the result of what?
a. Bad thinking
b. Evil actions
c. Other people
d. Bad luck
a. Bad thinking
What is the Greek word for an “ordered whole”?
a. Cosmos
b. Ontos
c. Atomos
d. Nous
a. Cosmos
Which of the following ancient Greek thinkers suggested that all opinions were true?
a. Socrates
b. Aristotle
c. Protagoras
d. Plato
c. Protagoras
In his argument with Socrates, regarding the nature of justice, what was the position advocated by Thrasymachus?
a. Moral realism
b. Moral relativism
c. Egoism
d. Pragmatism
b. Moral relativism
What are the two basic motions for Empedocles?
a. Fire and water
b. Fire and strife
c. Strife and love
d. Love and water
c. Strife and love
According to Plato, the built-in excesses of democracy contain the seeds of what?
a. Tyranny
b. Oligarchy
c. Monarchy
d. Anarchy
a. Tyranny
How many parts did Socrates’s trial consist of?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. 4
b. 2
What did Plato believe that a corrupt state produces?
a. Corrupt citizens
b. Excessive wealth
c. Excessive poverty
d. Revolt
a. Corrupt citizens
For Aristotle, happiness represents what?
a. A quality of life in the here and now
b. A quality of life in the hereafter
c. A quality of life unattainable by Greeks
d. A quality of life unattainable by anyone
a. A quality of life in the here and now
How many “Noble Truths” did the Buddha offer?
a. 3
b. 4
c. 6
d. 9
b. 4
What is the scientific study of God?
a. Theology
b. Philosophy
c. Worship
d. Apologetics
a. Theology
What, according to the Sophists, does everyone seek?
a. Power
b. Wealth
c. Wisdom
d. Trade
a. Power
“The Silver Dog” was the name for which Hellenic school?
a. Epicurus’s school
b. Plato’s school
c. The Cynics’ school
d. The Stoics’ school
c. The Cynics’ school
What is entelechy?
a. The view that things happen spontaneously
b. The view that God is the cause of all things
c. The view that things develop according to natural design
d. The view that there is more than one world
c. The view that things develop according to natural design
Nirvana is the annihilation of:
a. the Other.
b. the id.
c. the ego.
d. society
c. the ego.
According to Plato, the Sophists were only concerned with what?
a. The Heraclitean world of sensibles
b. The Parmenidean world of being
c. The world of the Forms
d. Transcendental truths
a. The Heraclitean world of sensibles
What principle holds that any real possibility must occur?
a. The Principle of Sufficient Reason
b. The Principle of Plenitude
c. The Principle of Divine Revelation
d. The Principle of Design
b. The Principle of Plenitude
According to Aristotle’s notion of entelechy and hierarchy of beings, what people are fully human?
a. All persons
b. Free male Athenians
c. Free female Athenians
d. All Athenians
b. Free male Athenians
The argument from necessity is based on the claim that there are how many classes of things?
a. 2
b. 4
c. 3
d. 5
a. 2
Socrates taught that beauty and goodness should be determined by what?
a. Usefulness
b. Attractiveness
c. Intellectual appeal
d. Sexual appeal
a. Usefulness
Which of the following is an example of a “higher” metaphysical Form in Plato’s theory?
a. The Good
b. Human-ness
c. Mother Teresa
d. A picture of Mother Teresa
a. The Good
For Plato, scientific knowledge of particulars was:
a. easy to come by.
b. provided by the Forms.
c. impossible.
d. provided by experience.
c. impossible.
The word “pragmatism” comes from the Greek word for what?
a. Politics
b. Deed
c. Truth
d. Virtue
b. Deed
The view that all morality reduces to self-interest is:
a. utilitarianism.
b. deontology.
c. egoism.
d. relativism
c. egoism.
What did Plato think should rule the soul?
a. Love
b. Justice
c. Desire
d. Reason
d. Reason
