PHIL 303: Midterm Review for Spring 2008

Draft

This page last revised: March 18, 2008

The Midterm Exam is scheduled for Monday, March 24, 2008.

Weighting: 42 Semester Points

"HPL" below refers to the "High Priority Lectures" Section of the Course Website

Review your primary material in MP on Descartes and Locke, and Hume (if we have gotten to him), your lecture notes, study questions for Descartes, Locke, and Hume, handouts, and assigned web materials, including (if you missed the corresponding lectures or need to review the lecture materials)

See also 303 Midterm Vocabulary

Aristotelian metaphysical and physical concepts
    (HPL #1, 3)
Cartesian Glossay (HPL)
Lockean Glossary (HPL)
Overview of Descartes' Meditations
    (Spinoza on Descartes in MP; my HPL#6-8)
The Mind-Body Problem (HPL #10)
Positions on the Problem of Universals (see end of HPL #11)
Positions in the Free Will/Determinism Debate (Study Questions on Locke for book ii, chap. 21; HPL #13)
Locke on Substance, Knowledge, Reason and Faith
    (HPL to be added, probably)

I. Matching

A. Match the Aristotelian/Scholastic/Premodern term with its correct definition

B. Match the term denoting a position on the mind-body problem with the correct definition of that position.

C. Match the term denoting a position on the metaphysical problem of reality of universals with the correct definition of that position.

D. Match the Cartesian term with its best definition.

E. Match the Lockean term with its best definition.

Essays: I will group these on the midterm and probably require one from each of two (?) groups. I may eliminate one or two options listed below.

1. Summarize Descartes' reasoning on the relative knowability of mind and body. (Do not do this topic if you did your argument analysis or first major paper on this topic.)

2. Summarize Descartes' account of the Nature and Cause of Error. (Do not do this topic if you did your argument analysis or first major paper on this topic.)

3. Explain the role of skeptical arguments (Dream Arguments, Evil Demon, etc.) in Descartes' Meditations.

4. How does Descartes prove the existence of God in Meditation III? Why does he want to do that? (Don't duplicate a major paper topic.)

5. Descartes vs. another important modern (17th-18th c.) European philosopher on the Mind-Body Problem. (Don't duplicate a major paper topic.)

6. How does Locke resolve the familiar puzzle about the will, liberty, and necessity? (Don't duplicate a major paper topic.)

7. How does Locke understand knowledge, reason, judgment, and faith? Is faith in his view necessarily at odds with reason? Explain.

8. Explain Locke's account of the origin of our complex ideas, starting from the building blocks as it were as they first appear in our minds. The best essays will probably discuss Locke's view on our ideas of (and the knowability of) substances. (Don't duplicate a major paper topic.)