Features of Philosophy
Core Questions for PHI 101 1. What are the three main areas of philosophy and what question does each address? 2. What are the five features of philosophy? Explain each and explain Method in more detail. 3. What is reason in itself? Explain each. 4. What is reason in its use? Explain each. 5. What is reason in us? Explain each. 6. What is the argument that some things are clear? 7. What is the argument that the basic things are clear? 8. What is the argument that the basic things about God and man and good and evil are clear to reason? 9. What is the argument that at least something is eternal? 10. What are the two responses to each of the popular skeptical claims? 11. What are the six sources of skepticism and what is the assumption of each? 12. What are each of the informal fallacies? Explain each. 13. What is the definition of knowledge and what are two kinds of justification? 14. Define contradiction in three ways. 15. Define argument, validity, and soundness. 16. What are the positions under “All is eternal”? What are the positions under “Only Some is eternal”? 17. What is the first argument against materialism and what are the three reasons for the minor premise? 18. What is the second argument against materialism and what are the reasons for the minor premise? 19. What is the third argument against materialism and what are the reasons for the minor premise? 20. What are the three issues in the assumptions of the Creation vs. Evolution debate? 21. Compare and contrast Theistic Evolution with Historic Theism. 22. What are the appeals and objections to reincarnation? 23. What are the objections to Advaita Vedanta (Shankara’s view)? 24. What are the objections to Dvaita Vedanta (Ramanuja’s view)? 25. What is the argument that the material world exists? 26. What are the two forms of Dualism and what are the objections to each? 27. What is the definition of ‘God’ in Theism? 28. Define ‘general revelation’ and ‘special revelation.’ Explain the relationship between the two. 29. What is the argument that natural evil is not original? 30. What are Hume’s five solutions and five responses to the problem of evil? 31. What is the Freewill Solution to the problem of evil and what are the objections? 32. Define ‘good’ and ‘evil’ in the Ironic Solution to the problem of evil. 33. Explain why there is moral evil in the Ironic Solution. 34. Explain why there is natural evil in the Ironic Solution. 35. State the Ironic Solution to the problem of evil. 36. Define ‘ethics’ and explain what ethics assumes. 37. Define the Good, virtue, and happiness. What are the three categories of virtue? 38. What are the formal features of the Good? Explain each. 39. What are the necessary conditions for morality? Explain each. 40. What are the major secular ethical theories? 41. What are the ten natural moral laws? Summarize each.