Question 1

In the doomsday scenario, all human life will end

Accepted Answer

A)  in 30 days. 
B)  30 days after one's death. 
C)  but begin anew in 30 days. 
D)  in 30 days but not all animal life. 
A)  in 30 days. 
B)  30 days after one's death. 
C)  but begin anew in 30 days. 
D)  in 30 days but not all animal life.

Question 2

What is Nagel's response to Lucretius's asymmetry argument?

Accepted Answer

A)  Nagel accepts Lucretius's asymmetry argument 
B)  Nagel argues that it is a contingent fact that we don't live longer 
C)  He suggests we think it is plausible that someone is harmed by many things they don't experience 
D)  Nagel argues that the two kinds of nonexistence are different 
A)  Nagel accepts Lucretius's asymmetry argument 
B)  Nagel argues that it is a contingent fact that we don't live longer 
C)  He suggests we think it is plausible that someone is harmed by many things they don't experience 
D)  Nagel argues that the two kinds of nonexistence are different

Question 3

To experience existential shock is to

Accepted Answer

A)  realize that you do not exist. 
B)  realize that there is no self. 
C)  realize that you will die one day. 
D)  realize that you exist when you might not have. 
A)  realize that you do not exist. 
B)  realize that there is no self. 
C)  realize that you will die one day. 
D)  realize that you exist when you might not have.

Question 4

If death is an evil, for Nagel, this is because it is . . .

Accepted Answer

A)  A state of non-existence 
B)  A loss of life 
C)  Often premature 
D)  Experienced as bad by its sufferers 
A)  A state of non-existence 
B)  A loss of life 
C)  Often premature 
D)  Experienced as bad by its sufferers

Question 5

Zhuangzi's grief is a response to what kind of norm, according to Olberding?

Accepted Answer

A)  A social norm 
B)  A religious norm 
C)  A natural norm 
D)  A moral norm 
A)  A social norm 
B)  A religious norm 
C)  A natural norm 
D)  A moral norm

Question 6

The fate of ordinary workers, for Camus, is importantly different from Sisyphus's fate.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 7

Why doesn't it make sense to fear past non-existence but make sense to fear future non-existence, according to Ismael?

Accepted Answer

A)  Because non-existence cannot harm us 
B)  Because the past is over, whereas the future still has yet to come 
C)  Because when we fear death, we fear not continuing to be alive 
D)  Because fear is forward looking 
A)  Because non-existence cannot harm us 
B)  Because the past is over, whereas the future still has yet to come 
C)  Because when we fear death, we fear not continuing to be alive 
D)  Because fear is forward looking

Question 8

For Nagel, being a person necessarily involves . . .

Accepted Answer

A)  Unhappiness 
B)  Tragedy 
C)  Taking oneself seriously 
D)  All of the above 
A)  Unhappiness 
B)  Tragedy 
C)  Taking oneself seriously 
D)  All of the above

Question 9

Why does Wolf take her idle rich, pig farmer, and corporate executive cases to be examples of meaningless lives?

Accepted Answer

A)  All of their lives are characterized by passivity 
B)  All of their lives are characterized by a failure to engage with something objectively valuable 
C)  All of them treat value as purely subjective 
D)  All of their lives are characterized by pointless activities 
A)  All of their lives are characterized by passivity 
B)  All of their lives are characterized by a failure to engage with something objectively valuable 
C)  All of them treat value as purely subjective 
D)  All of their lives are characterized by pointless activities

Question 10

For Wolf, a meaningful life is necessarily moral.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 11

Which of the following is a real source of absurdity, according to Nagel?

Accepted Answer

A)  That nothing we do now will matter in one million years 
B)  That we are merely tiny specks in an infinite vastness of universe 
C)  That we will necessarily die 
D)  None of the above 
A)  That nothing we do now will matter in one million years 
B)  That we are merely tiny specks in an infinite vastness of universe 
C)  That we will necessarily die 
D)  None of the above

Question 12

Which truth does a meaningful life provide a response to, according to Wolf?

Accepted Answer

A)  We are, each of us, tiny specks in a vast and value-filled universe 
B)  We are, each of us, one person among others 
C)  God's existence 
D)  None of the above 
A)  We are, each of us, tiny specks in a vast and value-filled universe 
B)  We are, each of us, one person among others 
C)  God's existence 
D)  None of the above

Question 13

According to a substance-based metaphysics,

Accepted Answer

A)  there is no enduring self. 
B)  you are a self-contained individual with a permanent essence. 
C)  you are a substance that interacts metaphysically with other substances. 
D)  the idea of the self is inherently contradictory. 
A)  there is no enduring self. 
B)  you are a self-contained individual with a permanent essence. 
C)  you are a substance that interacts metaphysically with other substances. 
D)  the idea of the self is inherently contradictory.

Question 14

Sisyphus's fate was to ceaselessly roll stones up a hill in order to create a great temple.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 15

Why can't a mouse's life be absurd, for Nagel?

Accepted Answer

A)  Mice lack the capacity for self-consciousness required for absurdity 
B)  Mice don't do the kinds of things humans do 
C)  Mice don't take themselves seriously 
D)  None of the above 
A)  Mice lack the capacity for self-consciousness required for absurdity 
B)  Mice don't do the kinds of things humans do 
C)  Mice don't take themselves seriously 
D)  None of the above

Question 16

Why does Olberding worry about the comportment Mengsun Cai and the four friends show towards death?

Accepted Answer

A)  It is wholly unnatural 
B)  It prevents them from being able to have any amusement in their lives 
C)  It prevents them from being able to enter into relationships 
D)  It seems to make them unable to engage with the many transient values in our lives 
A)  It is wholly unnatural 
B)  It prevents them from being able to have any amusement in their lives 
C)  It prevents them from being able to enter into relationships 
D)  It seems to make them unable to engage with the many transient values in our lives

Question 17

When Sisyphus ordered his wife to cast his unburied body into the middle of the public square, what happened?

Accepted Answer

A)  She performed the task, and Sisyphus was satisfied 
B)  She performed the task, and Sisyphus scorned her for it 
C)  She didn't perform the task, and Sisyphus scorned her for it 
D)  She didn't perform the task, and Sisyphus was satisfied 
A)  She performed the task, and Sisyphus was satisfied 
B)  She performed the task, and Sisyphus scorned her for it 
C)  She didn't perform the task, and Sisyphus scorned her for it 
D)  She didn't perform the task, and Sisyphus was satisfied

Question 18

Why was Sisyphus being punished by the Gods?

Accepted Answer

A)  For being unhappy with the life they had granted him 
B)  For mistreating his wife 
C)  For stealing their secrets 
D)  For failing to grasp the significance of his life 
A)  For being unhappy with the life they had granted him 
B)  For mistreating his wife 
C)  For stealing their secrets 
D)  For failing to grasp the significance of his life

Question 19

One potential problem for atemporalism in particular 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 20

According to Nagel, 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.

In the doomsday scenario, all human life will end

What is Nagel's response to Lucretius's asymmetry argument?

To experience existential shock is to

If death is an evil, for Nagel, this is because it is . . .

Zhuangzi's grief is a response to what kind of norm, according to Olberding?

The fate of ordinary workers, for Camus, is importantly different from Sisyphus's fate.

Why doesn't it make sense to fear past non-existence but make sense to fear future non-existence, according to Ismael?

For Nagel, being a person necessarily involves . . .

Why does Wolf take her idle rich, pig farmer, and corporate executive cases to be examples of meaningless lives?

For Wolf, a meaningful life is necessarily moral.

Which of the following is a real source of absurdity, according to Nagel?

Which truth does a meaningful life provide a response to, according to Wolf?

According to a substance-based metaphysics,

Sisyphus's fate was to ceaselessly roll stones up a hill in order to create a great temple.

Why can't a mouse's life be absurd, for Nagel?

Why does Olberding worry about the comportment Mengsun Cai and the four friends show towards death?

When Sisyphus ordered his wife to cast his unburied body into the middle of the public square, what happened?

Why was Sisyphus being punished by the Gods?

One potential problem for atemporalism in particular is that

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

Philosophy

God and Evil

Knowledge and Reality

Minds, Bodies, and Persons

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Exam 6: Existential Issues

In the doomsday scenario, all human life will end

What is Nagel's response to Lucretius's asymmetry argument?

To experience existential shock is to

If death is an evil, for Nagel, this is because it is . . .

Zhuangzi's grief is a response to what kind of norm, according to Olberding?

The fate of ordinary workers, for Camus, is importantly different from Sisyphus's fate.

Why doesn't it make sense to fear past non-existence but make sense to fear future non-existence, according to Ismael?

For Nagel, being a person necessarily involves . . .

Why does Wolf take her idle rich, pig farmer, and corporate executive cases to be examples of meaningless lives?

For Wolf, a meaningful life is necessarily moral.

Which of the following is a real source of absurdity, according to Nagel?

Which truth does a meaningful life provide a response to, according to Wolf?

According to a substance-based metaphysics,

Sisyphus's fate was to ceaselessly roll stones up a hill in order to create a great temple.

Why can't a mouse's life be absurd, for Nagel?

Why does Olberding worry about the comportment Mengsun Cai and the four friends show towards death?

When Sisyphus ordered his wife to cast his unburied body into the middle of the public square, what happened?

Why was Sisyphus being punished by the Gods?

One potential problem for atemporalism in particular is that

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

Philosophy

God and Evil

Knowledge and Reality

Minds, Bodies, and Persons

Ethics and Society

Filters