Introduction to Philosophy, Queens College, Spring 2006

Russell Marcus

Information Regarding the Midterm Examination

The Midterm will be given on Monday, March 20.

You will be asked to answer ten of twelve questions culled from the boldfaced questions on Reading Guide #1, on Descartes's Meditations and Anselm's ontological argument.

Each question will be worth 10 points.

Neither notes nor texts may be used during the exam.

Please remember that you must hand in your exam before leaving the classroom for any reason.

If you leave the room, you will not be permitted to return and resume the exam.

A general guideline I use for grading, which is not applicable in all cases, is as follows:

Cs) Representing accurately what a philosopher says;

Bs) Describing in detail why (s)he says it, i.e. the arguments for the position;

As) Arguing either for or against that position.

 

To review, prepare answers to the questions on the reading guides.

You may ask questions in class, and/or send me a few sample responses for my comments.

Here are a few topics for review:

1) Three doubts: Illusion, Dream, Deceiver
2) Rationalism
3) Empiricism
4) Skepticism
5) A priori, or innate, knowledge
6) A posteriori, or empirical, knowledge
7) Clarity and Distinctness as criteria for knowledge
8) Resemblance hypothesis
9) Ontological argument for God's existence
10) The problem of error and Descartes's account of error
11) The role of our senses
12) The possibility and existence of physical objects
13) The mind/body thesis