Phil 102A S16F: Exam 1 Study Guide

The Exam will take about two hours. I will provide all the paper, you will need to bring something to write with. Pen or pencil is fine. For the Exam you should know the following:

Part I: Fill-in-the-Blank. You should know the definitions of the following vocabulary terms. A word bank will be provided on the exam. 
  • Philosophy
  • Epistemology
  • Metaphysics
  • Axiology
  • Empiricism
  • tabula rasa
  • a posteriori
  • Rationalism
  • innate ideas
  • a priori
  • Common-sense skepticism
  • Methodological skepticism
  • Absolute skepticism
  • Primary quality
  • Secondary quality
  • Indirect Realism
  • Subjective Idealism
  • Analytic Statements
  • Synthetic Statements
  • Induction
  • Buddha
Part II: Short Answer. You should be able to explain the following:
  • The structure of an Athenian Trial.
  • The three charges leveled against Socrates.
  • The Socratic Method
  • Socrates' refutation of the charge that he is corrupting the youth.
  • Descartes' three forms of doubt including: the nature of the doubt; the beliefs called into question by that form of doubt; teh beliefs that survive that form of doubt.
  • The difference between Primary and Secondary qualities.
  • Berkeley's two sorts of ideas.
  • The meaning of the phrase "esse is percipi" and its relevance to Berkeley.
  • Berkeley's three responses to Locke.
  • How Berkeley accounts for the seeming independence objects have from us. 
  • Hume's distinction between ideas and impressions.
  • The two arguments Hume gives for the claim that all ideas are derived from some impression.
  • Hume's account of the difference between Relation of Ideas and Matters of Fact.
  • Hume's account of the source of our idea of causality.
  • The Problem of Induction. 
  • Ayer's view of what counts as knowledge (Justified True Belief)
  • Gettier's criticism of Ayer and the Justified True Belief account of knowledge.
  • The meaning of "Epistemic Advantage" and its relevance to feminism. 
  • Narayan's view of how one might respond to occupying different epistemic frameworks, and her account of the correct attitude to adopt. 
  • The Four Noble Truths of Buddhism.
  • The two types of Buddhist Meditation.
  • The potential objections and responses to the Buddhist claim that meditation is a source of knowledge. 
Part III: Essay. You should be prepared to watch an essay in which you relate the film 12 Angry Men to two of the authors we have studied. The essay should be 1-2 pages long. 
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