Philosophy 101: Introduction to Philosophy

Russell Marcus, Instructor

Queens College, Fall 2005

Information Regarding the Final Examination

The Final Exam will be given on Wednesday, December 21, at 11am, in Powdermaker 152.

It will consist of ten questions, culled from the following boldfaced questions on Reading Guides #2-4.

You will be asked to answer all ten questions.

Some of the questions may be combinations of two questions from the original reading guides.

Neither notes nor texts will be allowed to be used during the exam.

Please remember that you must hand in your exam before leaving the classroom for any reason.

If you leave the room, you will not be permitted to return and resume the exam.

Only the following questions may be on the exam:

Locke:

3, 5, 6, 10, 12, 13, 15, 16, 18, 20, 21.

Berkeley:

4, 6, 7, 10, 13, 17, 18, 21, 25, 31, 33, 38, 40, 43, 62, 63, 66, 72, 74, 76, 80, 83, 85, 86, 87.

Hume:
3, 6, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 21, 25, 28, 34, 37, 56, 61, 62, 64, 67.

Below, you will find full versions of all the questions.

At the beginning of this term, I mentioned that success in this course depends on being able to discuss a) what the philosophers say; b) why they say it; and c) whether they are right or wrong (i.e. provide some considered critical comments). I do not expect you to provide each of these for each question on the exam. But the best papers will include elements of critical analysis as well as explication of the readings.

Feel free to email me with any questions, or sample answers, for my feedback.

List of Questions to Prepare for the Final Exam

Locke:

3. How does the example of children show that there are no innate ideas?
5. How does the mind first get its ideas?
6. When do we start using names for our ideas? How do we get general ideas?
10. "[I]t will be convenient to distinguish them as they are ideas or perceptions in our minds; and as they are modifications of matter in the bodies that cause such perceptions in us..." (§7) What does this mean? Why does Locke think that this distinction is important?
12. What are the primary qualities? (Provide a description and a list.)
13. What are the secondary qualities? (Provide a description and a list.)
15. How do we get ideas of secondary qualities?
16. "The ideas of primary qualities of bodies are resemblances of them, and their patterns do really exist in the bodies themselves, but the ideas produced in us by these secondary qualities have no resemblance of them at all." (§15) Explain.
18. "Take away the sensation of them; let not the eyes see light or colors, nor the ears hear sounds; let the palate not taste, nor the nose smell, and all colours, tastes, odours, and sounds, as they are such particular ideas, vanish and cease, and are reduced to their causes, i.e. bulk, figure, and motion of parts." (§17) Explain.
20. How does Locke's discussion of the water support his primary/ secondary distinction?
21. How does Locke demonstrate that figure is a primary quality?

Berkeley:

4. How do we, supposedly, arrive at abstract ideas?
6. How do we arrive at the abstract idea of man? Describe the specific qualities of this idea.
7. "But then whatever hand or eye I imagine, it must have some particular shape and color." (§10) Explain. Why is this an argument against abstract ideas?
10. How does the notion of an abstract, general idea lead to a contradiction?
13. How does the presupposition that each word stands for one thing lead to the doctrine of abstract ideas? Be specific.
17. What is an object, like an apple, for Berkeley?
18. What exists, besides ideas?
21. How does the notion of the independent existence of material objects depend on the doctrine of abstract ideas?
25. Why can't our ideas of objects resemble material substance? How does this show the primary/ secondary distinction to be unhelpful?

31. "Hence it is evident the supposition of external bodies is not necessary for producing our ideas..." (§18) Explain.
33. "In short, if there were external bodies, it is impossible we should ever come to know it; and if there were not, we might have the very same reasons to think there were that we have now." (§20) Explain.
38. What are laws of nature, according to Berkeley? Be specific. How do we learn them? Why are they useful?
40. "If any man thinks this detracts from the existence or reality of things, he is very far from understanding what has been premised in the plainest terms I could think of." (§36) Explain. Why doesn't Berkeley say that ‘things' exist?
43. How does Berkeley respond to the objection that, on his theory, things go in and out of existence when we open and close our eyes? What would Locke say?
62. How does materialism lead to skepticism?
63. How does idealism avoid skepticism?
66. What are the two layers of abstraction, §99, which lead to materialism?
72. How is arithmetic infected by the doctrine of abstract ideas?
74. "There is no such thing as the ten-thousandth part of an inch; but there is of a mile or diameter of the earth, which may be signified by that inch." (§127) Explain. How does this indicate the basic error of the notion of infinite divisibility, for Berkeley?
76. For Berkeley, can we have ideas of our selves (our spirits)? Explain. How can we know of our selves?
80. How does Berkeley believe we know God?
83. How does the example of the mite show the relativity of extension?
85. How does a microscope serve to show that the appearance of figure can change?
86. What is the relation between motion and time? How is time measured? What does this mean for motion?
87. How does Philonous argue for the relativity of solidity?

Hume:

3. What is Hume's distinction between ideas and impressions?
6. How can we determine, according to Hume, whether a philosophical term is meaningless?
8. What is Hume's distinction between relations of ideas and matters of fact? Describe each.
9. How do we learn propositions that are solely concerned with relations of ideas?
10. "The contrary of every matter of fact is still possible..." (15) How does Hume support this claim?
12. How do we learn to connect specific causes with their effects? How can we not learn this, according to Hume?
14. "Thus the observation of human blindness and weakness is the result of all philosophy..." (19) Explain. Why does Hume make this conclusion?
15. What information does past experience give us? What does it not give us?
16. "These two propositions are far from being the same, I have found that such an object has always been attended with such an effect, and I foresee, that other objects, which are, in appearance, similar, will be attended with similar effects." Explain.
17. What do inferences about the future presuppose, as their foundation? Why can't experience establish this premise?
18. "In vain do you pretend to have learned the nature of bodies from your past experience." (24) Why "in vain"?
21. What is the role of custom, or habit, in our understanding of cause and effect?
25. "Here, then, is a kind of pre-established harmony between the course of nature and the succession of our ideas..." (36) Explain how this harmony arises.
28. How do we respond when a general cause and effect rule fails to apply in a particular instance? Do we assume that nature is irregular?
34. "[W]e learn only by experience the frequent Conjunction of objects, without ever being able to comprehend anything like Connexion between them." (46) Explain the difference between conjunction and connection (connexion).
37. How does Hume define cause?
56. "While we argue from the course of nature, and infer a particular intelligent cause, which first bestowed, and still preserves order in the universe, we embrace a principle, which is both uncertain and useless."(98) Explain.
61. Why do we believe in an external universe, according to Hume?
62. Can experience verify the existence of a physical world?
63. How does Hume reject Berkeley's explanation of our sensory experience?
64. What does Hume say about the primary/secondary distinction? With whom does he agree?
67. "The great subverter of Pyrrhonism or the excessive principles of scepticism, is action, and employment, and the occupations of common life." (109) Explain.