William Jamison - Instructor

Introduction to Philosophy - Phil 201

Test 2

Directions: Answer any three of the questions below in three essays. Essays may be as long as you feel necessary, but must be at least 300 words each, and should demonstrate an understanding of the main point of the question and it's relevance for us today. They should be e-mailed to: wsjamison@ALASKA.EDU. Avoid plagiarism!

1. Describe St. Anselm's argument for the existence of God. Give your own views on whether the argument is convincing or not and why.

2. Describe how St. Thomas Aquinas was able to merge Aristotelian concepts with Church dogma.

3. What kinds of things do you know for sure and how do you know this? Support your argument with the work of a modern philosopher.

4. What do you think should be our inalienable rights and what reasons do you have for thinking so? Support your views with the work of a social contract philosopher.

5. Philosophers and scientists design elegant models to describe how they view the universe. They then try to show how everything in our experience might fit that model. What model do you like and why do you believe it works?

6. Are there reasons studying philosophers improves our understanding of ourselves?