Study Questions for Manuel Velasquez,
Philosophy: A Text with Readings,
8th ed., Chapter 1

by Dr. Jan Garrett

PHIL 120 -- Spring 2002

Revised January 11, 2002

1. What points is Plato trying to make in his "myth of the cave"? (4-8)

2. What is epistemology or "theory of knowledge"? State some of the problems it discusses. What is Stenstad's view about truth? To what view is she opposed? Why is her theory an epistemological theory? (11-12)

3. What is metaphysics? State some of the issues it discusses? What is the basic idea of d'Holbach's determinism (this view is usually called hard determinism)? Why is this view a metaphysical view? What are two alternatives to Holbach's hard determinism? (12-15)

4. What is ethics? State some of the issues it discusses? Why does Velasquez include the views of Gandhi and Harry Browne as examples of views belonging to ethics? Is Browne's view compatible with Gandhi's? That is, could a rational personal believe both of them at the same time? (15-17)

Study Questions on Socrates Defense Speech

S1. Does Socrates seem to be a philosopher who tries to give nonreligious explanations of physical nature? What kind of issues is he mainly interested in? (18)

S2. What did the oracle say about Socrates? What did this motivate Socrates to do? How did Socrates eventually come to understand the meaning of the oracle? (26)

S3. What does Socrates do? Does he think he is following the will of the gods? (Where Velasquez has "god" or "the god," a more useful translation would be "the gods.") Does Socrates sound like an atheist? Explain. (26-27)

S4. Should a good person care about his wealth or his body or the condition of his soul, according to Socrates? How does philosophical inquiry about human goodness affect the soul, in his view? (26-27)

Return to Main Questions

5. What is the purpose of pursuing wisdom, according to the Buddha? (32-33)

6. In Maslow's hierarchy of needs, the maintenance needs are at the bottom, the self-actualizing needs are at the top. Explain the differences between these classes of needs. Which needs does philosophy especially address? Explain. (33-35)

7. What goal of philosophy does Velasquez mention near the bottom of p. 35? How does Victor Frankel's theory of human nature relate to the value of philosophy? (36)

8. What points do feminist philosophers Janice Moulton and Genevieve Lloyd make about the dominant tradition in Western philosophy? (37-38)

A Bit of Logic. (Velasquez 1.8)

Define the following terms and study the examples Velasquez gives:

1. Argument (53)

2. Deductive argument (53)

3. Inductive argument (54)

4. Fallacy (51)

Be sure to read pp. 68-71. It gives good advice for learning how to "really philosophize."