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Metaphysics Test: Multiple Choice Format

This document appears to be a test covering various topics in metaphysics and philosophy. It includes 38 multiple choice questions testing knowledge of philosophical traditions like pragmatism, logical positivism, phenomenology, existentialism, and antirealism. The test covers key philosophers, concepts, and distinctions within these traditions.

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
22 views5 pages

Metaphysics Test: Multiple Choice Format

This document appears to be a test covering various topics in metaphysics and philosophy. It includes 38 multiple choice questions testing knowledge of philosophical traditions like pragmatism, logical positivism, phenomenology, existentialism, and antirealism. The test covers key philosophers, concepts, and distinctions within these traditions.

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© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Name: ____________________ Mark: ____ /60

HZT Metaphysics Test

Part A: Multiple Choice (40)

1. Pragmatism as a philosophical
movement began where?
a. England
b. France 5. Pragmatists hold
c. The United States a. There are sharp distinctions
d. Germany between matter and mind
b. Bundles of perception are
2. An understanding of the social essential to understanding
forces which created a philosophy is the world
important to what philosophical c. Our subjective language is
tradition? the key to knowing reality
a. Logical Positivism d. None of the above
b. Pragmatism
c. Idealism 6. The pragmatic method studies
d. All of the above a. The external world
b. Immaterial mental states,
3. Who are the pragmatists? thoughts and ideas
a. William James c. The consequences of our
b. John Dewey actions
c. Hilary Putnam d. None of the above
d. A and B
7. In pragmatism, there are no
4. Pragmatism suggests a confidence in a. Ultimate principles
what? b. Self-evident values
a. The ability and power of the c. Irreducible sense data
mind d. All of the above
b. Free will
c. Sensory perception 8. Dewey used the pragmatic method
d. Linguistic conventions to assess what?
a. Life as we know it
b. Education, logic and the arts
c. Education and the arts
d. None of the above
9. According to James, what is the final 14. Logical positivism is a reaction to
determinant of reality? a. Skepticism
a. Reason b. The rise of atheism
b. The scientific method c. The tension between
c. A and B materialism and idealism
d. None of the above d. The tension between
materialism and rationalism
10. What do pragmatists assert about
the mind? 15. For the logical positivist, what is
a. It is a function of behavior wrong with metaphysical
b. It is not real statements?
c. It is immaterial a. They cannot be proven
d. It is foundational to our b. They are meaningless
being c. They tell us nothing about
reality
11. What is thinking, for pragmatists? d. All of the above
a. Inputs and outputs
b. Neurons firing and synapses 16. For the logical positivists, an analytic
doing their thing statement is
c. Understanding connections a. An empirical hypothesis
between action and b. A tautology
consequence c. A relation of ideas
d. Understanding language and d. B and C
processing our senses
17. Empirical hypotheses…
12. Logical positivism rejects a. Tell us something about the
metaphysical attempts to world
understand reality in favor of b. Tell us nothing about the
a. Language and meaning world
b. Perceptions and ideas c. Are simply hypothetical and
c. Logic and reason thus unreliable guesses
d. Tautologies and analytic d. Are meaningless
statements
18. Logical positivists view what kind of
13. Logical positivism is associated with statements as meaningless?
a. Carnap and Ayer a. Epistemological
b. Carnap and Putnam b. Empirical hypotheses
c. Putnam and Ayer c. Syllogisms
d. None of the above d. None of the above
19. According to logical positivists, 24. The antirealist denies
metaphysical statements carry what a. The existence of the mind
kind of meaning? b. The existence of ideas
a. No meaning at all c. The existence of the
b. Unverifiable meaning objective external world
c. Expressing emotion d. The existence of the
d. None of the above subjective external world

20. Max Tegmark argues for the 25. Antirealists hinge their philosophical
existence of argument on
a. Matter a. Reason
b. Parallel universes b. Language
c. Sensory perception c. Experience
d. The immaterial mind d. None of the above

21. Realism refers to 26. Who are the antirealists?


a. Objects of our senses which a. Feyerabend, Rorty, and
exist independently of being Putnam
experienced b. Putnam, Ayer, and Carnap
b. Objects of our senses which c. Putnam, Berkeley, and
do not exist independently of Spinoza
being experienced d. None of the above
c. Objects located within our
real, physical world 27. Which antirealist asserts that we
d. None of the above make reality or worlds by choosing a
way to describe boundaries around
22. The antirealists revive, but refine, those things?
what philosophical tradition? a. Goodman
a. Descartian dualism b. Putnam
b. Kantian metaphysics c. Spender
c. Aristotelian world views d. Carnap
d. Berkeley’s idealism
28. The antirealist view explains what
23. Antirealism is a form of for some feminists?
a. Realism a. Why the world is sexist
b. Idealism b. Why the world is unbalanced
c. Empiricism c. Why reason is a male trait
d. Materialism d. None of the above
29. For the antirealists, what creates 34. The natural standpoint fits within
reality? what philosophical tradition?
a. Language a. Existentialism
b. Perception b. Phenomenology
c. Rational thoughts c. Pragmatism
d. Ideas d. Antirealism

30. The example of Indigenous 35. The natural standpoint consists of


languages relates to antirealism a. Being aware of a world that
because… is simply there
a. Actually, there is no relation b. Being aware of human
b. It shows how language nature
changes our views c. Being aware of objective or
c. It shows how language does absolute reality
not change our views d. None of the above
d. None of the above
36. What survives “bracketing”?
31. Phenomenology is the study of a. Nothing
a. What appears b. Reason
b. What is rare c. Consciousness
c. What is perceived d. None of the above
d. What is phenomenal
37. According to Heidegger, traditional
32. Phenomenology was founded by thinking is confused over what?
a. Husserl a. The tension between
b. Heidegger materialism and idealism
c. Ayer b. The question of being
d. None of the above c. The question of matter or
ideas
33. Phenomenology is staunchly d. The reliability of sensory
opposed to perception
a. Absolutes
b. Relativity 38. Kierkegaard’s existentialism
c. Hierarchies emphasizes
d. Assessing consequences a. Free, rational thought
b. The existence of an objective
external world
c. A blend of perceptions and
reason to understand the
physical world
d. Action and doing
40. For Sartre, we have no God because
39. Kierkegaard, first and foremost, a. We cannot prove God’s
wants to know existence
a. The nature of reality b. God’s existence is
b. What God expects of him unimportant in our lives
c. What the purpose of c. We do not have a fixed
humanity is human nature
d. None of the above d. We do have a fixed human
nature

Part B: Identification and Drawing Connections (5 questions x 4 marks = 20)


Answer ONLY five (5) of the following identification questions.

1. Identify, characterize, and explain how the tension between idealism and materialism
gave rise to new philosophical theories. Provide examples.

2. Identify and explain what element or characteristic of pragmatism makes it difficult to


create counter-arguments or objections against it.

3. Identify the criterion of meaning for logical positivism, and identify two objections to it.

4. “In a subject like philosophy, it is really fatal to lose connection with the open air of
human nature, and to think in terms of shop-tradition only.” To whom does this quote
belong, and why is it significant?

5. “Meaning just ain’t in the head!” Identify who this quote belongs to, and why is it
significant?

6. “The traditional disputes of philosophers are, for the most part, as unwarranted as they
are unfruitful. The surest way to end them is to establish beyond question what should
be the purpose and method of philosophical inquiry.” Who does this quote belong to,
and why is it significant?

7. What point does the “Putnam’s Circles” thought experiment attempt to prove?

8. How does Searle, a fellow analytic linguist, object to antirealism? On what issue does he
disagree with the antirealists?

Common questions

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A critique of the logical positivist criterion of meaning from a pragmatic perspective might argue that reducing meaningfulness to empirical verification disregards the practical significance of ideas and concepts that influence human actions, even if they are not empirically verifiable. Pragmatism values ideas by their effects and utilities in real-life situations, which logical positivism might overlook as it focuses narrowly on empirical and analytic validation .

Pragmatism focuses on the practical consequences of ideas and actions as crucial for understanding reality, emphasizing adaptability and contextuality. In contrast, logical positivism stresses empirical verification and the logical structure of language as the criteria for meaningful statements, dismissing metaphysical explanations as non-empirical and irrelevant to reality. These differences highlight their distinct methodologies: pragmatism's action-consequence connection versus logical positivism's reliance on empirical validation .

John Dewey employed the pragmatic method in education and the arts to emphasize experiential learning and the integration of creative expression as tools for personal and societal development. This approach aligns with pragmatism's broader focus on practical outcomes and adaptability, facilitating a learning environment responsive to changing social contexts and fostering intellectual growth through active engagement and reflection .

Kierkegaard's existentialism challenges traditional philosophy by prioritizing individual experience and subjective truths over objective rationality. His philosophy underscores the importance of personal choice, commitment, and action in defining one's essence, contrary to philosophical traditions that emphasize deterministic, rational structures and universal truths .

Antirealism posits that language is foundational in constructing reality, as it shapes perceptions and boundaries around things, hence creating what is real. This contrasts with realism, which maintains that reality exists independently of human language or perception. The antirealist view suggests that changes in language can change perceived realities, something realism does not assert .

Logical positivism deems metaphysical statements as meaningless because they cannot be empirically verified or proven. This renders these statements non-informative about reality. Logical positivists prioritize empirical hypotheses and analytical statements as meaningful, asserting that metaphysical concepts lack cognitive value .

Antirealists deny the existence of an objective external world independent of perception, whereas realists assert that objects of our senses exist independently of being experienced. Antirealism emphasizes language and perception in constructing reality, suggesting that such constructs are not fixed .

Heidegger raises questions about the confusion in traditional thinking concerning the concept of being, as he critiques existing metaphysical frameworks that inadequately address the fundamental nature of existence. His existential philosophy seeks to redefine understanding through the lens of Dasein (being-there) as a central element of experience, advocating for a more authentic engagement with the question of being that goes beyond traditional dichotomies like materialism and idealism .

Phenomenology differs from traditional approaches by focusing on the subjective experience of consciousness rather than assuming an objective reality independent of perception. It seeks to understand the structures of experience from the first-person perspective, emphasizing the immediacy of phenomena as they appear to consciousness without presuppositions. This contrasts with other philosophies that prioritize objective analysis of reality or metaphysical constructs .

Pragmatism emphasizes the consequences of our actions as a key to understanding reality, rather than focusing on immaterial mental states, thoughts, and ideas. Pragmatists view real understanding as derived from practical outcomes .

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