Study Questions for Exam #3
Basic Concepts: What are a posteriori arguments/justifications, in general? Give an example. What are a priori arguments/justifications? Give an example. Explain each of the following concepts: atheism, agnosticism (superficial and deep), naturalism, theism, deism, polytheism, henotheism, monotheism, anthropomorphism, mysticism, skepticism, fideism, omniscience, omnipotence, and omnibenevolence. What is involved in the concept of Expected Utility (EU) and how is it calculated? What is a theodicy? Pascal's Wager: According to Pascal, what would have to be the properties of God, if He exists? Explain why he thinks we could have no evidentiary grounds whatsoever for belief in God. Why, then, should we believe that God exists (i.e., what's his Wager)? How does Pascal respond to the objection that one can't just start believing in God at will? How would Pascal respond to the objection that the probability of God's existence is actually much less than 50%? How would he respond to the objection that becoming a theist could require martyrdom (which renders the disvalue of belief if God doesn't exist much worse than -20)? Explain in detail just what the "Many Gods" Objection to Pascal's Wager is. Is there a way for Pascal to reply? Explain in detail "Blackburn's Wager." Is there a way for Pascal to reply? What are some worries Blackburn has about fideism? The Ontological Argument: What is the general methodological strategy of an ontological argument? How does Anselm define "God"? Why does he define it in this way? What exactly is Anselm's Ontological Argument and what are the reasons behind each step of the argument? What is Gaunilo's objection to Anselm, and how might Anselm reply? What is the "good" objection to the Ontological Argument discussed in class (having to do with existence and properties)? Suppose Anselm's argument could nevertheless avoid this problem somehow. What kind of God would his argument imply exists? The Cosmological Argument: What is the general methodological strategy of a cosmological argument? What exactly is Aquinas's Cosmological Argument (in the "2nd Way") and what are the reasons behind each step of the argument? Evaluate Aquinas's argument, i.e., do you think it works, or are there some problems with it? Suppose Aquinas's argument succeeded somehow. What kind of God would his argument imply exists? The Argument from Design: What is the general methodological strategy of an argument from design? What's the difference between design and chance? What is Paley's analogy of the watch? What is Property D, and how is it exhibited in the watch? What is Paley's version of the Argument from Design? Explain the various objections from which Paley defends his first premise, and explain his responses to them. Why does Paley think that the universe exhibits Property D? Why does he think that a defect in a designer's products does not necessarily prove that there's a defect in the designer, and which of his responses to this problem would work best when dealing with the Problem of Evil? How might one object to Paley's claim that anything exhibiting order/purpose probably exists as the result of intelligent design? How might one object to Paley's claim that the universe exhibits Property D? Suppose Paley's argument succeeded somehow. What kind of God would his argument imply exists? The Problem of Evil: Explain the difference between moral properties and natural properties, giving examples of each. Why do both Philo and Demea think that life is one big misery? What is the argument presented in Hume's dialogue for the conclusion that God must be either not omnipotent or not benevolent (the Problem of Evil), and what is the reasoning behind each step? What are the so-called "cheap solutions" to this problem? Explain and evaluate the various possible theodicies dealing with this problem. Explain the Divine Foreknowledge Problem. What do you think the proper reaction is to the Problem of Evil?