Question 1

David Hume, who was a soft determinist, believed that we could say that an act was free

Accepted Answer

A) so long as indeterminism was true. 
B) if it followed from a person's "character." 
C) so long as its past causes were not sufficient to produce it. 
D) the person performing it was not morally blameworthy.

Question 2

What does Jean-Paul Sartre mean when he says we are "condemned to be free"?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What does Jean-Paul Sartre mean when he...

Question 3

When Rousseau argued that people should be forced to be free (by being made to "obey the general will" of the people), he was endorsing

Accepted Answer

A) negative freedom. 
B) positive freedom. 
C) the freedom from constraints. 
D) the end of real freedom

Question 4

Indeterminists often argue that while all events have causes, there is a "gap" in the sequence of causes large enough to allow for free choice.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 5

Soft determinists believe that

Accepted Answer

A) determinism is false. 
B) determinism has many therapeutic remedies that can help us cope with difficult times. 
C) freedom and determinism are compatible. 
D) freedom and determinism are incompatible.

Question 6

What is compatibilism ?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is compatibilism ?...

Question 7

Aristotle believed that an action might be free even if the person who did it was pushed or forced into doing it.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 8

In focusing exclusively on negative freedom, we can easily

Accepted Answer

A) become emotionally negative. 
B) lose sight of what we want that freedom for. 
C) lose our religious faith. 
D) achieve happiness.

Question 9

In the statement "Every event has its sufficient natural explanatory cause(s)," the word sufficient means that the cause is

Accepted Answer

A) incapable of bringing the event about by itself. 
B) capable of bringing the event about by itself. 
C) necessary for the event to occur. 
D) indeterminate.

Question 10

To t he hero of Dostoevsky's Notes from Underground, freedom is acting entirely on whim, for no reason whatsoever.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 11

According to the African Yoruba philosophy, prior to being born, people know what sort of "ori" or soul they will have, and hence whether they will have good or bad luck in their lives.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 12

Harry Frankfurt believed that we do not have responsibility for our actions unless we have real options to do otherwise than we did.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 13

Suppose someone offers Anne a cigarette after she has decided to give up smoking. According to Kant, Anne

Accepted Answer

A) must think of her choice in a deterministic way. 
B) must try to predict her own behavior. 
C) must make a decision whether to accept it or not. 
D) cannot freely choose.

Question 14

The statement that we are "condemned to be free" was made by

Accepted Answer

A) John Stuart Mill. 
B) Immanuel Kant. 
C) Jean-Paul Sartre. 
D) David Hume.

Question 15

There is no difference between metaphysical libertarianism and political libertarianism.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 16

Write a fictional, argumentative dialogue between two or more characters debating the meaning of freedom and the problem of freedom and determinism. Your characters should each take stands and defend them with clearly stated reasons. They can respectfully disagree with one another, and should try to address each other's criticisms. Be especially aware of the assumptions that each character makes when s/he takes a stand. Your dialogue can conclude with agreement, agreeing to disagree, or some sort of new synthesis of preliminary positions. Dialogues should include discussion of the meaning and importance or value of freedom, and of some aspects of the debate over freedom and determinism. They should bring out your perceptions of what's at stake in this issue.   You can draw on materials from Chapter 7, but you are not limited to these. You may also wish to stage this dialogue as an oral presentation to your class or make a video of it.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Write a fictional, argumentative dialogue between two...

Question 17

If a man holds a gun to my head and forces me to give him my wallet, then

Accepted Answer

A) I am not free. 
B) I have no choice. 
C) I am only negatively free. 
D) I have nonetheless freely chosen not to fight and be shot.

Question 18

Briefly explain Aristotle's two conditions for a free action.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Briefly explain Aristotle's two conditions for a...

Question 19

The strongest version of determinism implies that "Every event has its sufficient natural explanatory cause(s)."

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 20

What is the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic freedom?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is the difference between intrinsic and...

Exam 7: Freedom

David Hume, who was a soft determinist, believed that we could say that an act was free

What does Jean-Paul Sartre mean when he says we are "condemned to be free"?

When Rousseau argued that people should be forced to be free (by being made to "obey the general will" of the people) , he was endorsing

Indeterminists often argue that while all events have causes, there is a "gap" in the sequence of causes large enough to allow for free choice.

Soft determinists believe that

What is compatibilism ?

Aristotle believed that an action might be free even if the person who did it was pushed or forced into doing it.

In focusing exclusively on negative freedom, we can easily

In the statement "Every event has its sufficient natural explanatory cause(s) ," the word sufficient means that the cause is

To t he hero of Dostoevsky's Notes from Underground, freedom is acting entirely on whim, for no reason whatsoever.

According to the African Yoruba philosophy, prior to being born, people know what sort of "ori" or soul they will have, and hence whether they will have good or bad luck in their lives.

Harry Frankfurt believed that we do not have responsibility for our actions unless we have real options to do otherwise than we did.

Suppose someone offers Anne a cigarette after she has decided to give up smoking. According to Kant, Anne

The statement that we are "condemned to be free" was made by

There is no difference between metaphysical libertarianism and political libertarianism.

If a man holds a gun to my head and forces me to give him my wallet, then

Briefly explain Aristotle's two conditions for a free action.

The strongest version of determinism implies that "Every event has its sufficient natural explanatory cause(s)."

What is the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic freedom?