phil 14 exam 1

Question 1

argument

Answer 1

a set of propositions some one of which is intended to be warranted or entailed by the others, a set of statements that work together to support another statement which is the conclusion

Question 2

validity

Answer 2

if both the premise and conclusion are related to each other in a right way so that if the premises are both true the conclusion has to be true

Question 3

soundness

Answer 3

An argument that is valid but also has all true premises

Question 4

premise

Answer 4

Statements that represent initial information that is given or has been assumed, provides the conclusion with support or reason

Question 5

conclusion

Answer 5

The statement in an argument that is new information from the initial information, it is what tells us what the arguer is trying to convince us of

Question 6

knowledge as justified true belief

Answer 6

A belief a person is entitled to hold, is a person knows that P is true only and if P is true then S is justified to believe P is true

Question 7

a priori

Answer 7

when one knowns through conceptual resources and reason alone, like logic and mathematics and necessary truths

Question 8

a posteriori

Answer 8

when one knows through the sense of perception, data observed in scientific experiments, historical claims, and contingent truths

Question 9

theodicy

Answer 9

An attempt to defend or justify god as to why he allows evil if he is all powerful and all knowing and good

Question 10

fideism

Answer 10

the view that we can legitimately hold/accept or believe certain propositions on the basis of faith, without any evidence whatsoever in favour of them

Question 11

type-type identity theory

Answer 11

mental states are identical to physical states, the mental state of being in pain is identical to having a same sort of neurological pattern like c firing

Question 12

qualia

Answer 12

Individual, times of subjective and conscious experiences like sensory experiences, listening to music or our emotions. Cant be experienced in physical terms because it is subjective and different for everyone

Question 13

multiple realizability

Answer 13

A single mental type can be realized by many distinct physical kinds like pain, as humans we can feel pain and so could a martain, it may be different physiologically but it is still pain. Essentially the same thing can be performed by different apparatuses

Question 14

functionalism

Answer 14

The view that what makes a mental state is not its internal constitution, but it is its function and the role it plays in the cognitive system. Mental states are their functional roles.

Question 15

reductive and non reductive materialism

Answer 15

Reductive materialism is that all kinds of mental state like consciousness are corresponding physical states like c fibers firing, everything can be reduced down to their most basic scientific compontent Non reductive materialism is when mental states do not correspond do physical states, they are different, something can be in pain but it is not identical to a c fiber firing

Question 16

strong vs weak artificial intelligence

Answer 16

Weak AI is that a powerful enough computer could simulate human understanding
Strong Ai is a suitably programmed computer understands as a human does and is conscious like a human is

Question 17

state, explain and asses aquinas first way

Answer 17

In Aquinas’ first way he shows that Gods existence can be proved through motion. We know that things are in motion because of our senses. Since we know that things are in motion that means that everything is moved by something else, and everything that is moving has been moved by another. There has to be one thing moving everything because it can not go on infinitely and therefore there is an unmoved mover that everyone calls good.

Question 18

state, explain and asses the ontological argument

Answer 18

The ontological argument is an argument by Anselm where he proves the existence of god. He says that God exists because if he were not real he wouldn’t be the most perfect being and if he weren’t the most perfect he would not be god so since he is the most perfect God is real. Anselm also argues that since we can imagine a perfect being that perfect being must be god. This argument has criticism because some may say it is a ‘hey you cant do that objection’

Question 19

what is the problem of evil? what is the best response to this problem? Does it show that God does not exist?

Answer 19

The problem of evil is that there are bad things going on in the world and if there really was a being who was omnipotent, and omnibenevolent that would mean evil does not exist because all three are inconsistent. The best response is that there is free will and evil does not come from a divine agency and it might even be subjective. It proves god does not exist because if there were really a good who is omipotent, omnibenevolent and omniscient they would do everything they could to eliminate evil or else they would be none of the above, making them not a god.

Question 20

what is fideism? should we avoid fideism? In this connection , you will need to distinguish various forms of fideism

Answer 20

Fideism is the view that one can hold and accept any view on the basis of faith without having any evidence in favour of them. There are different types of fideism like mad dog fideism where one believes a proposition because it is incredible and absurd, or strong fideism where one should believe any proposition even though there is a lack of evidence and it seems incredible on its own terms, or moderate fideism where i can believe things even though there is a lack of evidence as long as it is credible on its own terms and it derives from a reliable or trustworthy source.

Question 21

what is clifford’s principle? What is the best argument for this principle? Is this argument sound

Answer 21

His principle is that it is always wrong everywhere for anyone to believe anything if there is not evidence for it being true. His best argument is that it is wrong to solely believe things on the basis of faith like religious beliefs. His argument is not sound because there many reasonable things we believe even without proof and sometimes we are only given a certain amount of proof from a higher authority.

Question 22

What is dualism? What is the best argument for mind-body dualism? What are the problems associated with this view? Should we be dualists?

Answer 22

Dualism is when there is no single subject of mental properties and physical properties, they are different things. The best argument was said by descartes when he said that you can doubt that your body exists because you have the property to be able to doubt it but you cannot doubt you exist and this shows us we are not identical to our bodies and Gertlers argument that pain is not identical to any physical state because it is not possible that one might be in pain while being disembodied. The problems associated with dualism is that they go against the science we know about the mind and body and it couldn’t explain how as people we can make memories and know things if our minds and body were distinct things. It is also seen that if souls are casually inert that means they cant casually interact so dualism is false because souls can casually not move so they cant casually interact with our bodies.

Question 23

What is the identity theory? What are the problems associated with this view? Should we accept the identity theory?

Answer 23

Theory that the mind is the brain, there is no difference between them and mental states are identical to physical states. The problem with this theory is that it states every pain is identical to a neural state but we cannot know our own neuro physiological states and we knew about our pains because we know they exists by us but we cant know a neuron is firing in our brain therefore we shouldn’t necessarily accept this theory because we our sensations are not the processes going on in our brain.

Question 24

What if anything does Mary the colour scientist show about physicalism?

Answer 24

Physicalism is the thesis that everything is physical, all mental phenomena are ultimately physical phenomena and everything that exists is no more than its physical properties and so mary shows us its false because when she leaves the black and white room she learns something new about redness even though she knew all the physical properties about it she still learns more when she herself perceives redness and experiences it directly

Question 25

what is functionalism in the Philosophy of Mind? Should we accept this view?

Answer 25

The view that what makes a mental state a particular way does not depend on its internal constitution but instead the way it functions or the role it plays in the system which it is part in. We should not necessarily accept it because it is not able to explain other things like sensations.

Question 26

State and asses the Turing Test

Answer 26

The Turing Test is a test used to see if a computer could think like a human being. The turning test starts with a machine and a person having a conversation with another person. The different person has to guess if they were talking to a machine or a real person based on their conversation. If the machine gets the different person to guess they were the human we cay conclude the computer is thinking.

Question 27

What does Searle’s example of the Chinese Room show about artificial intelligence?

Answer 27

Searles example of the Chinese room shows us that computers can not gain consciousness because they may be able to pass a test but that does not mean it understands anything like the semantics of a sentence so a computer does not have a mind and neither does artificial intelligence because they do not truly understand semantics even if they are taught syntax