Midterm Philosophy Questions

There is a strict limit of 750 words total that you can write for this exam. Each question is worth 20 percent of the overall exam grade – or, in other words, each question is worth exactly FOUR points out of the 100 points that makes up your overall semester grade. (Remember that you can track your grades using the table on the syllabus.)

Question One: Give a compelling argument for why a traditional four-year college experience that includes a General Education program like UNF’s is a wise use of your time and resources. This argument will be judged on how good an argument it is – whether every single claim is well evidenced and whether the argument as a whole coheres into a solid, compelling whole. 150 words maximum.

Question Two: Define “Logic.” First, give an example of an invalid argument that has true premises but does NOT have true conclusion – BE SURE to put this argument into premise-and-conclusion form (Premise One…; Premise Two…; Conclusion…) Second, reconstruct your argument so that the premises are true, the conclusion is true, AND the form is valid. Do not use examples from the power point. 150 words maximum.

Question Three: Explain why Descartes was NOT an empiricist. Then either defend Descartes’s approach to epistemology OR defend empiricism.

Question Four: Give a compelling argument that (1) Locke was right about the separation of primary and secondary properties, OR (2) Berkeley was right that there is no distinction between primary and secondary properties, OR (3) that they were both wrong. Don’t get trapped into just repeating what they say; this must be a fresh and insightful argument on your part. 150 words maximum.

Question Five: Explain Hume’s Problem of Induction. Then explain its significance and power (how important and impactful it is). Be careful to avoid just denying the problem; that’s a trap; it’s a real problem. 150 words maximum.

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