PHI103 Exam 2 Practice Questions

The first set of questions asks you about arguments for and against God’s existence in general. If you know the definitions of the basic argument categories, you should be good.

1. Question: If a person argues that God is the best explanation for the universe coming into existence, what kind of argument would that be?
2. Question: If a person argues that God designed the universe like a watchmaker designs a watch, what kind of argument would that be?
3. Question: If a person argues that God is the best explanation for where our sense of right and wrong comes from, what kind of argument would that be?
4. Question: If a person argues that God came to them in a dream and told them that God exists, what kind of argument would that be?
5. Question: If a person argues that God must exist because God is it greater to exist than to not exist and God is the greatest being ever, what kind of argument would that be?

The second set of questions asks about Thomas Aquinas’ five ways, which are the only arguments for God’s existence that are on the study guide and that you are responsible for knowing anything about for the exam. In order to reliably answer these questions, you must know the general idea of each of these five arguments and know them by their number.

6. Question: Which of Aquinas’ ways concerns causation?
7. Question: Which of Aquinas’ ways concerns things existing in matters of degree?
8. Question: Which of Aquinas’ ways concerns motion?
9. Question: Which of Aquinas’ ways is his version of the moral argument?
10. Question: Which of Aquinas’ ways is his version of the teleological argument?

The second set of questions asks about definitions of terms in the philosophy of mind. Many of these questions will be the kinds of questions you would have thought about in writing your benchmark paper.

11. Question: On which solution to the mind-body problem are people defined by their behaviors?
12. Question: On which solution to the mind-body problem do people have something like an immaterial soul?
13. Question: On which solution to the mind-body problem is talk of mental states simply imprecise talk about brain states?
14. Question: On which solution to the mind-body problem does every particle in existence have at least a small measure of consciousness?
15. Question: On which solution to the mind-body problem is the universe made up of two different kinds of stuff which are governed by two different sets of laws?

The third set of questions asks about the different positions concerning free will. In order to reliably answer these questions, you must understand the definitions of the positions and be able to think through how these positions would analyze different scenarios.

16. Question: If a person threatens to expose you if you do not commit a crime that you do not want to commit, and you choose to commit the crime, would a compatibilist say you had free will in that choice?
17. Question: If a person threatens to expose you if you do not commit a crime that you do not want to commit, and you choose to commit the crime, would a libertarian say you had free will in that choice?
18. Question: If a person threatens to expose you if you do not commit a crime that you do not want to commit, and you choose to commit the crime, would a theological determinist say you had free will in that choice?
19. Question: If a person threatens to expose you if you do not commit a crime, but you wanted to commit the crime anyway, and you choose to commit the crime, would a compatibilist say you had free will in that choice?
20. Question: If a person threatens to expose you if you do not commit a crime, but you wanted to commit the crime anyway, and you choose to commit the crime, would a hard determinist say you had free will in that choice?