Briefly explain either Descartes’ ontological argument for the existence of God, or St. Anselm’s ontological argument for the existence of God. Why does Kant think that employing any ontological argument to try to prove God’s existence is a mistake?

Intro to Philosophy Spring 2014 Exam 1 Study Questions

1.      Briefly explain either Descartes’ ontological argument for the existence of God, or St. Anselm’s ontological argument for the existence of God. Why does Kant think that employing any ontological argument to try to prove God’s existence is a mistake?

2.      Briefly explain the Argument from Design for the existence of God, as set forth by either William Paley or St. Thomas Aquinas. If evolutionary theory happens to be true, and if all life-forms on this planet evolved to be what they are today because they favored the particular genes that code for them, would the truth of evolutionary theory then undermine the credibility of the Argument from Design? Explain why or why not.

3.      Many Christians believe that faith in God should be based on free will, and not on miracles. Suppose you are a Christian, and you were to encounter a pagan who says this to you:

“Why shouldn’t faith be based on miracles? After all, if you have a fancy sports car that has a twelve-cylinder engine, it would be foolish not to test the horsepower of the engine by racing the car as often as you can, so you can be sure you have the “real deal”; why else would you have a sports car?

In the same way, if God is as powerful as you say He is, wouldn’t it be foolish not to witness His power by testing it for yourself and getting Him to perform a few miracles every now and then, so you can be sure that you have the “real deal”; why else would you believe in God as opposed to some pagan deity?”

How would you respond to the pagan?  

   

4.      Explain what a monad is, according to Leibniz. Given the nature of monads, how would Leibniz’s view of reality explain the apparent presence of change in the world and the nature of space and time?

5.      What is substance, according to Aristotle? Explain how Aristotle utilizes the notions of form and matter to explain change in the world.  

6.      How does Descartes use the Insanity Argument, the Dreaming Argument, and the Evil Genius Argument to systematically cast all his beliefs into doubt? How does he then go on to argue that even if all of his beliefs are cast into doubt, one thing must still remain certain? What is this one thing?

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