PHILOSOPHY 150 READING QUESTIONS

  1.    In your own words, briefly describe the story “A Brain in a Vat,” and explain how this story is related to what Descartes says in Meditation I. (Answer found somewhere in “A Brain in a Vat,” pp. 152-154 and "Meditation I," pp. 175-178.)  DUE DATE: ____________________

  2.    In your own words, explain (a) how Descartes proves his own existence, and (b) what you think the main point of the wax example is.  (Answer found somewhere in "Meditation II," pp. 178-182.)  DUE DATE: ______________________

  3.   In your own words, explain the point of (a) Weirob's kleenex box example, and (b)  Weirob's chocolate/caramel example.  (Answer found somewhere in "The First Night," pp. 434-441.)  DUE DATE: ______________________

  4.     In your own words, describe and explain the point of Miller's baseball doubleheader example (a "doubleheader" is just two baseball games – consisting of nine innings each – played back to back on the same field).  (Answer found somewhere in "The Second Night," pp. 441-448.)  DUE DATE: _______________

  5.    Describe the "Who is Julia?" scenario, and explain who you think is the survivor of it and why.   (Answer found somewhere in "The Third Night," pp. 448-453.)  DUE DATE: ______________________

  6.   In your own words, (a) briefly explain just what Pascal's wager is, and (b) explain one of Blackburn's objections to it.  (Answer found somewhere in "The Wager," pp. 134-137 and "Miracles and Testimony," pp. 140-143.)  DUE DATE: ______________________

  7.    In your own words, (a) explain how Anselm proves God's existence in "Chapter 2" of his article (just do your best on this – it's hard), and (b) explain Guanilo's "island" objection to it in part 6 of his article.  (Answer found somewhere in "The Ontological Argument" and "On Behalf of the Fool," pp. 6-7 and 10-11.)  DUE DATE: ___________________

  8.    In your own words, describe and explain the point of Paley's watch example.  (Answer found somewhere in "The Argument From Design," pp. 40-45.)  DUE DATE: ____

  9.    In your own words, (a) describe some of the evils both Philo and Demea (in Hume's dialogue) think are present in the world, and then (b) explain why Philo thinks this evil poses a problem for religious believers.  (Answer found somewhere in "Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion," Part X," pp. 69-74.)  DUE DATE: ______________________

  10.   In your own words, explain in detail why Holbach thinks "the actions of man are never free."  (Answer found somewhere in "The Illusion of Free Will," pp. 462-467.)  DUE DATE: _____________

  11.  C.A. Campbell claims that, in order to give a proper account of free will, the only way we can proceed is by figuring out precisely what conditions must be fulfilled in order for us to legitimately praise and blame people, i.e., we must find out “exactly what kind of freedom is it which is required for moral responsibility.”  In answering this question, he gives three conditions for the kind of freedom presupposed by these attributions of moral responsibility.  In your own words, briefly explain all three.  (Answer found somewhere in "Has the Self ‘Free Will’?" found on-line.)  DUE DATE: _________

  12.   In your own words, explain (using examples where appropriate) (a) Stace’s definition of free will and (b) why he thinks moral responsibility is compatible with (and actually requires) determinism.  (Answer found somewhere in "The Problem of Free Will," pp. 486-491.)  DUE DATE: _____________