Philosophy 1 Fall 2002 Study Guide for Final Exam

J. Driver & R. Gilliland

The following list of questions and directions are intended to help you study for the final exam. The questions on this list are not representative of the actual questions on the exam. Those questions will be more substantial and will require an essay length response. The final exam covers all material since the midterm exam.

Exam times: You may pick either exam time

Dec. 5, 9-11 a.m., Rockefeller 3

Dec. 10, 8-10 a.m., Dartmouth 105

Extra office hours:

In addition to our usual office hours, we will be holding extra office hours before the exam:

Prof. Driver: Dec. 2, 10-12 a.m., Dec. 3, 9-11 a.m., and Dec. 9, 10-12 a.m.

Prof. Gilliland: Dec. 2, 2:30-4:30 p.m., Dec. 3, 2:30-4:30 p.m., Dec. 9, 2:30-4:30 p.m.

You can also make an appointment for a different time. Also, feel free to blitz questions.

Mind and Body

1. Explain the difference between interactionism and epiphenomenalism. What are the difficulties that confront dualism?

2. How do reductive and eliminative materialism differ on the existence of mental states? How is this reflected in the examples of scientific progress that are used to support these respective positions?

3. Explain Jackson’s notion of qualia. In his view, how does the existence of qualia effect the debate between dualism and materialism? Do you agree that qualia are a significant issue? Why or why not?

4. What is the Turing Test? Do you think that it is an adequate test for the existence of artificial intelligence? Why or why not?

5. Summarize and critically evaluate Searle’s Chinese Room Argument against artificial intelligence.

6. Be prepared to state and defend your view about the possibility of artificial intelligence.

Ethical Theory

7. What is the difference between normative and descriptive discourse?

8. Be familiar with the evaluative terms used in moral discourse (e.g. obligatory, forbidden, permissible, right, wrong, good, bad, supererogatory, etc.)

9. What is cultural relativism? How is it distinguished from subjectivism?

10. What is the cultural differences argument?

11. Be able to critically discuss the cultural differences argument.

12. What are some of the problems associated with cultural relativism? (n.b. there is a difference between criticizing an argument for a claim and criticizing the claim itself).

13. What is the difference between psychological egoism and ethical egoism?

14. Why do many find psychological egoism implausible?

15. What is the main theoretical advantage of ethical egoism?

16. Can the ethical egoist adequately deal with moral conflict? Why or why not?

17. Is ethical egoism plausible as a normative ethical theory?

18. What is Rachels’ primary criticism of ethical egoism? Do you agree?

19. What is the greatest happiness principle (or, the principle of utility)?

20. What is hedonism?

21. Be able to compare and contrast Bentham and Mill on the nature of pleasure.

22. Why does the ‘deluded sadist’ thought experiment pose a problem for hedonism?

23. Why does the ‘experience machine’ thought experiment pose a problem for hedonism?

24. What is the difference between act and rule utilitarianism?

25. Why is Utilitarianism sometimes accused of being incompatible with justice and of violating rights? How does the rule utilitarian try to avoid this problem?

26. Why is utilitarianism thought to be too demanding? How might a utilitarian respond?

27. Explain Kant’s claim that the good will is the only unqualifiedly good thing, and his claim that the consequences of an action are irrelevant to its moral status.

28. On Kant’s view, what type of motivation does morality demand of us?

29. What does Kant mean when he states that the moral law, in its most general sense, is a categorical imperative?

30. State the universal law formulation of the categorical imperative, illustrate it with an example, and explain why, for Kant, universalizability is a morally relevant criteria.

31. State the end-in-itself formulation of the categorical imperative, illustrate it with an example, and explain its moral relevance.

32. What is Kant’s view on the moral status of animals? Do you think that this is a problem for Kant? Why or why not?

33. How do Marquis and the strong pro-choice supporter argue for their respective views about the personhood of the fetus? What objections do they each face? How do they respond?

34. How does Thompson use the example of the unconscious violinist to argue that abortion is morally permissible in a significant number of cases but morally forbidden in others? Discuss her views about the relative significance of the rights and interests of the pregnant woman and the fetus’ right to life.

35. Be prepared to state, explain, and justify your view on the morality of abortion.

36. What is euthanasia?

37. What is the difference between ‘active’ and ‘passive’ euthanasia?

38. How does Rachels argue against there being a morally relevant difference between active and passive euthanasia? (be sure to be familiar with the examples he uses to make his case).

39. What is the ‘slippery slope’ argument often used against allowing voluntary active euthanasia? Is there any empirical evidence to support it?

40. What is the ‘survival lottery’ thought experiment supposed to show? Why is that relevant to the debate about the permissibility of voluntary active euthanasia?