History of Contemporary Philosophy

Introduction

1. What four items have influenced all of 20^th century Philosophers?

 

a.

 

b.

 

c.

 

d.

 

 

T or F 2. All 20^th century philosophers have attempted to escape constructivism and relativism.

T or F 3. All 20^th century philosophers have attempted to escape romanticism and relativism.

T or F 4. All 20^th century philosophers have attempted to escape romanticism and absolutism.

T or F 5. 20^th century Philosophers have attempted to deny the possibility of knowledge.

T or F 6. 20^th century Philosophers have attempted to reaffirm the possibility of knowledge.

T or F 7. Moore tackled large-scale problems and addressed himself to a nonprofessional audience.

T or F 8. Moore tackled small-scale problems and addressed himself to a professional audience.

T or F 9. In an effort to introduce precision into Philosophy Moore introduced a method known as synthesis into Philosophy.

T or F 10. In an effort to introduce precision into Philosophy Moore introduced a method known as analysis into Philosophy.

T or F 11. Synthesis as Moore practiced it exposed some of the muddles of idealist philosophers.

T or F 12. Analysis as Moore practiced it exposed some of the muddles of idealist philosophers.

T or F 13. Analysis as Moore practiced it cleared up the status of the relationship between sense data and material objects.

T or F 14. Synthesis as Moore practiced it cleared up the status of the relationship between sense data and material objects.

T or F 15. Synthesis as Moore practiced it did not clear up the status of the relationship between sense data and material objects.

T or F 16. Analysis as Moore practiced it did not clear up the status of the relationship between sense data and material objects.

T or F 17. Moore’s idealism is one frequently traveled path out of Kantianism.

T or F 18. Moore’s idealism is one frequently traveled path out of Hegelianism.

 

 

Chapter 1

T or F 1. Because the world we live in is so close to us it is difficult to distinguish what is important in the history of Philosophy from what is not.

T or F 2. Because the world we live in is so close to us it is easy to distinguish what is important in the history of Philosophy from what is not.

3.What are the four key threads that weave their way through all of 20^th century Philosophy?

 

a.

 

b.

 

c.

 

d.

 

 

 

T or F 4. Events in the 20^th century have led to the collapse of beliefs in progress, rationality and peoples ability to control their destiny.

T or F 5. Events in the 20^th century have led to the increase of beliefs in progress, rationality and peoples ability to control their destiny.

T or F 6. A loss of confidence is common among 20^th century philosophers.

T or F 7. A loss of confidence is uncommon among 20^th century philosophers.

T or F 8. At the core of the loss of confidence is a feeling of radical ambiguity about the human mode of being in the world.

T or F 9. At the core of the loss of confidence is a feeling of radical ambiguity about religious worldviews.

T or F 10.20^th century people feel the absurdity of their situation.

T or F 11.20^th century people feel comfortable with their situation.

T or F 12. Science has been blamed for feelings of disproportion and disorientation.

T or F 13. The Arts have been blamed for feelings of disproportion and disorientation.

T or F 14. Far from causing Metaphysical anxiety by destroying the old orientation science provides a way of satisfying the urge for subjectivity.

T or F 15. Far from causing Metaphysical anxiety by destroying the old orientation science provides a way of satisfying the urge for objectivity.

T or F 16. Humankind has agreed that it is distinguished from the rest of nature by its consciousness of what it does and what it experiences.

T or F 17. Humankind has agreed that it is distinguished from the rest of nature by its use of language

T or F 18. To be self conscious is to be separated from the rest of nature.4

T or F 19. To be self conscious is to be intimately connected with the rest of nature.4

T or F 20. Consciousness creates a fatal gap between the knower and the world.

T or F 21. Consciousness does not create a fatal gap between the knower and the world.

T or F 22. Language creates a fatal gap between the knower and the world.

T or F 23. Language does not create a fatal gap between the knower and the world.

T or F 24. The problem of Knowledge is the problem of finding a language that is exactly isomorphic with independent reality and that has been purged of distortions.

T or F 25. Language as something to be refined and purified has been the preoccupation of 20^th century Philosophy.

 

T or F 26. Although many attitudes have influenced 20^th century philosophy all philosophical concerns agree in the effort to escape Platonism. 8

T or F 27. Although many attitudes have influenced 20^th century philosophy all philosophical concerns agree in the effort to escape Idealism. 8

T or F 29. Although many attitudes have influenced 20^th century philosophy all philosophical concerns agree in the effort to escape Kantianism. 8

 

T or F 30. Descartes and his successors maintained that there are 2 fundamentally different entities. What are they?

 

a.

 

b.

 

 

 

T or F 31. Hume maintained that the mind knows only its own states.

T or F 32. What is Kant’s "Copernican Revolution"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 3

T or F 1. Analytic philosophy is a central movement in the English speaking world.

2. What are the two phases in the development of analytic philosophy?

T or F 3. A chief feature of the analytic tradition is a commitment to atomicity.

T or F 4. A chief feature of the analytic tradition is a commitment to plurality.

T or F 5. Analytic philosophers have conceived of the ultimate entities of which the universe is composed as externally related.

T or F 6. Analytic philosophers have conceived of the ultimate entities of which the universe is composed as internally related.

T or F 7. The basic assumption of analysis is that complex entities should be analyzed into simple entities.

T or F 8. The basic assumption of analysis is that simple entities should be analyzed into complex entities.

T or F 9. A simple entity is explained when its analysis into the complex entities is correctly carried out.

T or F 10. A complex entity is explained when its analysis into the simple entities is correctly carried out.

T or F 11. The direction of analysis for analytic philosophers is from simple to complex or small to large entity.

T or F 12. The direction of analysis for analytic philosophers is from complex to simple or large to small entity.

T or F 13. Clarity is achieved when a conglomerate is analyzed into a set of unambiguous simples.

T or F 14. Clarity is achieved when a set of unambiguous simples are built up into a conglomerate.

T or F 15. The pursuit of clarity led analytic philosophers to a concern about consciousness.

T or F 16. The pursuit of clarity led analytic philosophers to a concern about language.

T or F 17. In the view of analytic philosophers most of our language is seriously inadequate.

T or F 18. In the view of analytic philosophers most of our language is adequate for doing philosophy.

T or F 19. Before philosophical analysis can begin language must be refined and purified.

T or F 20. The conviction that philosophical problems are best approached by a tough minded critical examination of linguistic usage distinguishes analytic philosophers from other post Kantian philosophers.

T or F 21. The conviction that philosophical problems are best approached by a tough minded critical examination of logical structure is common to all post Kantian philosophers.

T or F 22. Logic is powerful tool for conducting linguistic analysis.

T or F 23. Moore was one of the leaders in the revival of analytic philosophy in the 20^th century.

24.According to Keynes what are the 2 main features of Moore’s method of analysis?

a.

b.

T or F 25. Moore assumes that the universe is composed of a vast number of complex items.

T or F 26. Moore assumes that the universe is composed of a vast number of simple items.

T or F 27. Moore assumes that the universe is composed of a vast number of both simple and complex items.

T or F 28. Sometimes Moore wrote as if analysis was focused on the meanings of words.

T or F 29. Sometimes Moore wrote as if analysis was focused on the property denoted by a word.

T or F 30. Sometimes Moore wrote as if analysis was focused on the meanings of verbal expressions.

T or F 31. Sometimes Moore wrote as if analysis was focused on the meanings of objects.

32. What is a "Proposition"?

33. What is "realism"?

34. The attempt to break with the "Kantian Paradigm" took 3 forms. What are they?

a.

b.

c.

35. Define "esse est percipi"