Question 1

What did the Gods condemn Sisyphus to?

Accepted Answer

A)  Death 
B)  Ceaselessly rolling a rock to the top of a mountain 
C)  Being constantly dissatisfied with life despite the fact that he clings to it 
D)  Being unhappy with his life 
A)  Death 
B)  Ceaselessly rolling a rock to the top of a mountain 
C)  Being constantly dissatisfied with life despite the fact that he clings to it 
D)  Being unhappy with his life

Question 2

Baillie believes that existential shock helps us see ourselves for who we really are.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 3

One potential problem for priorism is that

Accepted Answer

A)  if the deceased do not exist after death, then they cannot be harmed. 
B)  if the deceased are harmed before their death, then someone can be harmed by an event before it occurs. 
C)  every harm occurs at a particular time. 
D)  death doesn't involve any bad experiences. 
A)  if the deceased do not exist after death, then they cannot be harmed. 
B)  if the deceased are harmed before their death, then someone can be harmed by an event before it occurs. 
C)  every harm occurs at a particular time. 
D)  death doesn't involve any bad experiences.

Question 4

Baillie believes that experiences of existential shock are rare.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 5

Ismael doesn't see much of a point to thinking about death, since it only brings fear.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 6

Scheffler claims that we personalize our relation to the future.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 7

How does Camus, according to Nagel, suggest we respond to absurdity?

Accepted Answer

A)  Defiance 
B)  Suicide 
C)  Ironic embrace 
D)  Self-etiolation 
A)  Defiance 
B)  Suicide 
C)  Ironic embrace 
D)  Self-etiolation

Question 8

According to Taylor, human life is . . .

Accepted Answer

A)  Necessarily meaningful 
B)  Possibly meaningful 
C)  Always meaningless 
D)  Subjectively meaningful only 
A)  Necessarily meaningful 
B)  Possibly meaningful 
C)  Always meaningless 
D)  Subjectively meaningful only

Question 9

According to Baillie, one can bring about existential shock by

Accepted Answer

A)  experiencing one's self as insubstantial. 
B)  putting one's self in dangerous circumstances. 
C)  having a near-death experience. 
D)  subtracting distractions from one's life. 
A)  experiencing one's self as insubstantial. 
B)  putting one's self in dangerous circumstances. 
C)  having a near-death experience. 
D)  subtracting distractions from one's life.

Question 10

For Nagel, the impossibility of locating death's badness within life shouldn't trouble us.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 11

Priorism claims that death harms the deceased before their death.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 12

According to the deprivation thesis,

Accepted Answer

A)  death is bad because it harms the deceased. 
B)  death is bad because it deprives the deceased of the good things of life. 
C)  death is bad because death can be painful for the deceased. 
D)  death is not bad because it does not deprive the deceased of anything. 
A)  death is bad because it harms the deceased. 
B)  death is bad because it deprives the deceased of the good things of life. 
C)  death is bad because death can be painful for the deceased. 
D)  death is not bad because it does not deprive the deceased of anything.

Question 13

How must one imagine Sisyphus, according to Camus?

Accepted Answer

A)  Ambivalent 
B)  Angry 
C)  Sad 
D)  Happy 
A)  Ambivalent 
B)  Angry 
C)  Sad 
D)  Happy

Question 14

What does Leo Tolstoy think is necessary to live a meaningful life?

Accepted Answer

A)  Eternal existence after death 
B)  Pleasant experiences, like cigars or a good pinot noir 
C)  A coherent life story 
D)  None of the above 
A)  Eternal existence after death 
B)  Pleasant experiences, like cigars or a good pinot noir 
C)  A coherent life story 
D)  None of the above

Question 15

What does Ismael agree with Bernard Williams about with respect to immortality?

Accepted Answer

A)  That it would make our lives more meaningful 
B)  That it would be tiresome 
C)  That it would be good, because it secures more pleasant experiences 
D)  That we should choose it if we were given the option 
A)  That it would make our lives more meaningful 
B)  That it would be tiresome 
C)  That it would be good, because it secures more pleasant experiences 
D)  That we should choose it if we were given the option

Question 16

According to Fischer, the answer to the Symmetry Problem is that

Accepted Answer

A)  while one could have died much later, one could not have been born substantially earlier. 
B)  while death often is very painful, being born is not as painful. 
C)  while it is rational to fear future harms, it is not rational to fear past harms. 
D)  while death closes possibilities, not being born merely prevents possibilities. 
A)  while one could have died much later, one could not have been born substantially earlier. 
B)  while death often is very painful, being born is not as painful. 
C)  while it is rational to fear future harms, it is not rational to fear past harms. 
D)  while death closes possibilities, not being born merely prevents possibilities.

Question 17

Olberding follows Ted Cohen in taking humor to be importantly tied up with . . .

Accepted Answer

A)  Constraint and power dynamics 
B)  Anomalousness 
C)  Feelings of superiority or powerlessness 
D)  All of the above 
A)  Constraint and power dynamics 
B)  Anomalousness 
C)  Feelings of superiority or powerlessness 
D)  All of the above

Question 18

Why is Sisyphus the "absurd hero," for Camus?

Accepted Answer

A)  He failed to appreciate the things he had, but he had many things worth appreciating 
B)  His hatred for death and passion for life won him the punishment of his life being for nothing 
C)  Because he was condemned to ceaseless punishment 
D)  None of the above 
A)  He failed to appreciate the things he had, but he had many things worth appreciating 
B)  His hatred for death and passion for life won him the punishment of his life being for nothing 
C)  Because he was condemned to ceaseless punishment 
D)  None of the above

Question 19

To say that our values have a non-consequentialist dimension means

Accepted Answer

A)  what matters to us is not determined whatsoever by the overall best consequences. 
B)  what matters to us is not completely determined by the overall best consequences. 
C)  what matters to us is determined partly by the overall best consequences. 
D)  what matters to us is determined completely by the overall best consequences. 
A)  what matters to us is not determined whatsoever by the overall best consequences. 
B)  what matters to us is not completely determined by the overall best consequences. 
C)  what matters to us is determined partly by the overall best consequences. 
D)  what matters to us is determined completely by the overall best consequences.

Question 20

Ismael thinks that how we understand our personal narrative plays an important role in how we understand who we are.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

What did the Gods condemn Sisyphus to?

Baillie believes that existential shock helps us see ourselves for who we really are.

One potential problem for priorism is that

Baillie believes that experiences of existential shock are rare.

Ismael doesn't see much of a point to thinking about death, since it only brings fear.

Scheffler claims that we personalize our relation to the future.

How does Camus, according to Nagel, suggest we respond to absurdity?

According to Taylor, human life is . . .

According to Baillie, one can bring about existential shock by

For Nagel, the impossibility of locating death's badness within life shouldn't trouble us.

Priorism claims that death harms the deceased before their death.

According to the deprivation thesis,

How must one imagine Sisyphus, according to Camus?

What does Leo Tolstoy think is necessary to live a meaningful life?

What does Ismael agree with Bernard Williams about with respect to immortality?

According to Fischer, the answer to the Symmetry Problem is that

Olberding follows Ted Cohen in taking humor to be importantly tied up with . . .

Why is Sisyphus the "absurd hero," for Camus?

To say that our values have a non-consequentialist dimension means

Ismael thinks that how we understand our personal narrative plays an important role in how we understand who we are.

Philosophy

God and Evil

Knowledge and Reality

Minds, Bodies, and Persons

Ethics and Society

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Exam 6: Existential Issues

What did the Gods condemn Sisyphus to?

Baillie believes that existential shock helps us see ourselves for who we really are.

One potential problem for priorism is that

Baillie believes that experiences of existential shock are rare.

Ismael doesn't see much of a point to thinking about death, since it only brings fear.

Scheffler claims that we personalize our relation to the future.

How does Camus, according to Nagel, suggest we respond to absurdity?

According to Taylor, human life is . . .

According to Baillie, one can bring about existential shock by

For Nagel, the impossibility of locating death's badness within life shouldn't trouble us.

Priorism claims that death harms the deceased before their death.

According to the deprivation thesis,

How must one imagine Sisyphus, according to Camus?

What does Leo Tolstoy think is necessary to live a meaningful life?

What does Ismael agree with Bernard Williams about with respect to immortality?

According to Fischer, the answer to the Symmetry Problem is that

Olberding follows Ted Cohen in taking humor to be importantly tied up with . . .

Why is Sisyphus the "absurd hero," for Camus?

To say that our values have a non-consequentialist dimension means

Ismael thinks that how we understand our personal narrative plays an important role in how we understand who we are.

Philosophy

God and Evil

Knowledge and Reality

Minds, Bodies, and Persons

Ethics and Society

Filters