Question 1

According to Taylor, why is life for the human species just as meaningless as it is for the individual?

Accepted Answer

A)  Both are purposeless 
B)  Both are cyclical 
C)  (a) and (b) 
D)  None of the above 
A)  Both are purposeless 
B)  Both are cyclical 
C)  (a) and (b) 
D)  None of the above

Question 2

Nagel suggests that the reason we should care about the pain of others is grounded in a fact about the world.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 3

Seneca and Zhuangzi both take death not to be bad but just part of the natural order of things.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 4

The reason that Wolf's "Blob" case is an example of a meaningless life is that he is completely passive.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 5

Sisyphus's wife refused to cast his unburied body into the middle of the public square.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 6

According to the Symmetry Argument, death is not bad because

Accepted Answer

A)  one cannot experience anything bad when dead. 
B)  the dead no longer exist. 
C)  death is but a transition to the afterlife. 
D)  one's prenatal nonexistence isn't bad either. 
A)  one cannot experience anything bad when dead. 
B)  the dead no longer exist. 
C)  death is but a transition to the afterlife. 
D)  one's prenatal nonexistence isn't bad either.

Question 7

Camus holds that it is impossible to overcome one's absurd situation in any way.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 8

On the face of it, why is it puzzling that Zhuangzi doesn't repudiate the grief he felt for his wife's death?

Accepted Answer

A)  Because he is committed to the view that death isn't bad 
B)  Because he didn't care about his wife very much 
C)  Because grieving his wife in this way violates the social norms of his society 
D)  Because grief is something that is harmful to oneself 
A)  Because he is committed to the view that death isn't bad 
B)  Because he didn't care about his wife very much 
C)  Because grieving his wife in this way violates the social norms of his society 
D)  Because grief is something that is harmful to oneself

Question 9

Why doesn't Olberding think we should interpret Zhuangzi's grief as a moment of akrasia?

Accepted Answer

A)  Because there are other moments where he feels grief throughout the texts 
B)  Because he doesn't repudiate his having felt it 
C)  Because akrasia would mean his grief was appropriate 
D)  None of the above 
A)  Because there are other moments where he feels grief throughout the texts 
B)  Because he doesn't repudiate his having felt it 
C)  Because akrasia would mean his grief was appropriate 
D)  None of the above

Question 10

When do we see absurdity in ordinary life, according to Nagel?

Accepted Answer

A)  When we reflect on situations 
B)  When a situation includes a conspicuous discrepancy between pretension/aspiration and reality 
C)  When we come into contact with our own mortality 
D)  When we think about how small we are relative to the universe 
A)  When we reflect on situations 
B)  When a situation includes a conspicuous discrepancy between pretension/aspiration and reality 
C)  When we come into contact with our own mortality 
D)  When we think about how small we are relative to the universe

Question 11

Which of the following isn't an aspect of a meaningful life, for Wolf?

Accepted Answer

A)  Purposeful projects 
B)  Engaging with moral value 
C)  Engaging with something of positive value 
D)  Activity 
A)  Purposeful projects 
B)  Engaging with moral value 
C)  Engaging with something of positive value 
D)  Activity

Question 12

Why is the question "What is the meaning of life?" unclear, for Wolf?

Accepted Answer

A)  It is only intelligible if one is religious, and she is secular 
B)  What is meant by "meaning" isn't obvious 
C)  Because it isn't yet clear what meaningfulness is 
D)  None of the above 
A)  It is only intelligible if one is religious, and she is secular 
B)  What is meant by "meaning" isn't obvious 
C)  Because it isn't yet clear what meaningfulness is 
D)  None of the above

Question 13

What asymmetry did Lucretius think raised a problem for the notion that death is bad?

Accepted Answer

A)  Our different attitudes toward prenatal and posthumous nonexistence 
B)  Our different attitudes toward experiencing something bad and not experiencing it 
C)  Our different attitudes toward someone who dies young and someone who dies at a normal age 
D)  Our different attitudes toward whether death is a harm or not 
A)  Our different attitudes toward prenatal and posthumous nonexistence 
B)  Our different attitudes toward experiencing something bad and not experiencing it 
C)  Our different attitudes toward someone who dies young and someone who dies at a normal age 
D)  Our different attitudes toward whether death is a harm or not

Question 14

Why does Sisyphus's return to the bottom of the mountain interest Camus?

Accepted Answer

A)  This is when Camus imagines Sisyphus's stoic return to his torment 
B)  This is the period of Sisyphus's life where he is conscious of his fate 
C)  This is when Sisyphus becomes superior to his fate 
D)  All of the above 
A)  This is when Camus imagines Sisyphus's stoic return to his torment 
B)  This is the period of Sisyphus's life where he is conscious of his fate 
C)  This is when Sisyphus becomes superior to his fate 
D)  All of the above

Question 15

For Taylor, committing oneself to some purpose isn't enough for one's life to be meaningful.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 16

While Zhuangzi recognizes the disvalue of death, why does his response to his own grief suggest that he disapproves of mourning practices in his society?

Accepted Answer

A)  Because they encourage us to glorify death 
B)  Because they encourage us simply to see death as a bad thing 
C)  Because they suggest that death is bad, and Zhuangzi thinks death is good 
D)  Because he thinks they cause us to suffer, and all suffering is bad 
A)  Because they encourage us to glorify death 
B)  Because they encourage us simply to see death as a bad thing 
C)  Because they suggest that death is bad, and Zhuangzi thinks death is good 
D)  Because he thinks they cause us to suffer, and all suffering is bad

Question 17

A life with contentment is not necessarily a meaningful life, according to Taylor.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 18

Ismael thinks that it is common to view death as a calamity, or a mistake, or an accident. Why does she think this a problematic attitude to have towards death?

Accepted Answer

A)  It makes death seem bad when it isn't bad for us 
B)  It diminishes our appreciation for the finitude of life 
C)  It makes us fear our deaths, which is unpleasant 
D)  It makes us forget that we will continue to exist after we die 
A)  It makes death seem bad when it isn't bad for us 
B)  It diminishes our appreciation for the finitude of life 
C)  It makes us fear our deaths, which is unpleasant 
D)  It makes us forget that we will continue to exist after we die

Question 19

Which of the following best describes what Nagel means by the term "death"?

Accepted Answer

A)  The process of dying 
B)  Non-existence 
C)  Unconsciousness 
D)  Permanent non-existence 
A)  The process of dying 
B)  Non-existence 
C)  Unconsciousness 
D)  Permanent non-existence

Question 20

Fischer accepts subsequentism.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

According to Taylor, why is life for the human species just as meaningless as it is for the individual?

Nagel suggests that the reason we should care about the pain of others is grounded in a fact about the world.

Seneca and Zhuangzi both take death not to be bad but just part of the natural order of things.

The reason that Wolf's "Blob" case is an example of a meaningless life is that he is completely passive.

Sisyphus's wife refused to cast his unburied body into the middle of the public square.

According to the Symmetry Argument, death is not bad because

Camus holds that it is impossible to overcome one's absurd situation in any way.

On the face of it, why is it puzzling that Zhuangzi doesn't repudiate the grief he felt for his wife's death?

Why doesn't Olberding think we should interpret Zhuangzi's grief as a moment of akrasia?

When do we see absurdity in ordinary life, according to Nagel?

Which of the following isn't an aspect of a meaningful life, for Wolf?

Why is the question "What is the meaning of life?" unclear, for Wolf?

What asymmetry did Lucretius think raised a problem for the notion that death is bad?

Why does Sisyphus's return to the bottom of the mountain interest Camus?

For Taylor, committing oneself to some purpose isn't enough for one's life to be meaningful.

While Zhuangzi recognizes the disvalue of death, why does his response to his own grief suggest that he disapproves of mourning practices in his society?

A life with contentment is not necessarily a meaningful life, according to Taylor.

Ismael thinks that it is common to view death as a calamity, or a mistake, or an accident. Why does she think this a problematic attitude to have towards death?

Which of the following best describes what Nagel means by the term "death"?

Fischer accepts subsequentism.

Philosophy

God and Evil

Knowledge and Reality

Minds, Bodies, and Persons

Ethics and Society

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Exam 6: Existential Issues

According to Taylor, why is life for the human species just as meaningless as it is for the individual?

Nagel suggests that the reason we should care about the pain of others is grounded in a fact about the world.

Seneca and Zhuangzi both take death not to be bad but just part of the natural order of things.

The reason that Wolf's "Blob" case is an example of a meaningless life is that he is completely passive.

Sisyphus's wife refused to cast his unburied body into the middle of the public square.

According to the Symmetry Argument, death is not bad because

Camus holds that it is impossible to overcome one's absurd situation in any way.

On the face of it, why is it puzzling that Zhuangzi doesn't repudiate the grief he felt for his wife's death?

Why doesn't Olberding think we should interpret Zhuangzi's grief as a moment of akrasia?

When do we see absurdity in ordinary life, according to Nagel?

Which of the following isn't an aspect of a meaningful life, for Wolf?

Why is the question "What is the meaning of life?" unclear, for Wolf?

What asymmetry did Lucretius think raised a problem for the notion that death is bad?

Why does Sisyphus's return to the bottom of the mountain interest Camus?

For Taylor, committing oneself to some purpose isn't enough for one's life to be meaningful.

While Zhuangzi recognizes the disvalue of death, why does his response to his own grief suggest that he disapproves of mourning practices in his society?

A life with contentment is not necessarily a meaningful life, according to Taylor.

Ismael thinks that it is common to view death as a calamity, or a mistake, or an accident. Why does she think this a problematic attitude to have towards death?

Which of the following best describes what Nagel means by the term "death"?

Fischer accepts subsequentism.

Philosophy

God and Evil

Knowledge and Reality

Minds, Bodies, and Persons

Ethics and Society

Filters