Question 1

Altshuler argues that we can attain immortality in which of the following ways?

Accepted Answer

A)  Through engaging with projects that future generations will care about. 
B)  By building robotic bodies for ourselves and uploading our memories into them. 
C)  By going to heaven after our bodily deaths. 
D)  By becoming one with the universe so that we can exist as long as it does. 
A)  Through engaging with projects that future generations will care about. 
B)  By building robotic bodies for ourselves and uploading our memories into them. 
C)  By going to heaven after our bodily deaths. 
D)  By becoming one with the universe so that we can exist as long as it does. A

Question 2

Which of the following is the problem of action Beauvoir is trying to solve?

Accepted Answer

A)  We cannot truly commit ourselves to projects, but we need to commit ourselves to projects in order to live meaningful lives. 
B)  We cannot avoid committing ourselves to projects, but all projects seem meaningless because they come to an end. 
C)  The fact that we will die means that everything we care about is ultimately meaningless. 
D)  We need others' help to pursue meaningful projects, but others will always let us down. 
A)  We cannot truly commit ourselves to projects, but we need to commit ourselves to projects in order to live meaningful lives. 
B)  We cannot avoid committing ourselves to projects, but all projects seem meaningless because they come to an end. 
C)  The fact that we will die means that everything we care about is ultimately meaningless. 
D)  We need others' help to pursue meaningful projects, but others will always let us down. B

Question 3

Compare Scheffler's view with Morgenthau's and Beauvoir's. How does Morgenthau's emphasis on immortality differ from Scheffler's reflections on why the afterlife matters? How does Beauvoir's view of why the flourishing and freedom of others differ from Scheffler's view of why we care about these things?

Accepted Answer

Scheffler's view, as expressed in his book "Death and the Afterlife," focuses on the importance of the afterlife in providing meaning and value to our lives. He argues that the belief in an afterlife gives significance to our actions and relationships, as they have a lasting impact beyond our earthly existence.

In contrast, Morgenthau's emphasis on immortality is rooted in his realist approach to international relations. He believes that the pursuit of power and influence in the international arena is driven by a desire for immortality, as states seek to leave a lasting legacy and ensure their survival in a dangerous world.

Beauvoir's view on the flourishing and freedom of others is grounded in her existentialist philosophy, which emphasizes the interconnectedness of human existence. She argues that our own freedom and flourishing are intertwined with the freedom and flourishing of others, and that we have a responsibility to contribute to the well-being of society as a whole.

Scheffler's view, on the other hand, focuses on the importance of these things in providing meaning and value to our lives. He argues that our concern for the flourishing and freedom of others is rooted in our desire for a meaningful and fulfilling existence, as our lives are enriched by the presence of others and their well-being.

Overall, while Morgenthau's emphasis on immortality and Beauvoir's focus on the flourishing and freedom of others offer different perspectives on the significance of these concepts, Scheffler's reflections on the afterlife and the importance of flourishing and freedom provide a broader understanding of why these things matter to us as individuals and as members of society.

Question 4

Which of the following does Scheffler ask us not to consider when reflecting on the Doomsday Scenario?

Accepted Answer

A)  That the things we value will no longer be valued. 
B)  That there will be no new generations of human beings. 
C)  The deaths of our loved ones. 
D)  The institutions we are members of will cease to exist. 
A)  That the things we value will no longer be valued. 
B)  That there will be no new generations of human beings. 
C)  The deaths of our loved ones. 
D)  The institutions we are members of will cease to exist.

Question 5

Hans Morgenthau holds that nuclear war would destroy our attempts to seek meaning because:

Accepted Answer

A)  It would destroy the technologies we rely on to pursue meaningful projects. 
B)  It would destroy the religious traditions through which we strive for immortality. 
C)  It would destroy the civilizations through which we aim to achieve immortality. 
D)  It would weaken the international trust on the basis of which we pursue collective meaning. 
A)  It would destroy the technologies we rely on to pursue meaningful projects. 
B)  It would destroy the religious traditions through which we strive for immortality. 
C)  It would destroy the civilizations through which we aim to achieve immortality. 
D)  It would weaken the international trust on the basis of which we pursue collective meaning.

Question 6

Altshuler suggests that confidence in the afterlife may support each of the following EXCEPT:

Accepted Answer

A)  Our ability to value. 
B)  A sense of meaning in life. 
C)  Calming our fear of death. 
D)  Our capacity for violence. 
A)  Our ability to value. 
B)  A sense of meaning in life. 
C)  Calming our fear of death. 
D)  Our capacity for violence.

Question 7

According to Scheffler, what is a reason we engage with various traditions and social groups?

Accepted Answer

A)  To give ourselves a sense of belonging to a future social world. 
B)  To make friends and be less lonely. 
C)  To entertain ourselves when we are not doing philosophy. 
D)  Because social media targets us with ads to get us to engage with traditions and social groups. 
A)  To give ourselves a sense of belonging to a future social world. 
B)  To make friends and be less lonely. 
C)  To entertain ourselves when we are not doing philosophy. 
D)  Because social media targets us with ads to get us to engage with traditions and social groups.

Question 8

Explain some of the ways in which Scheffler believes the afterlife contributes value and meaning to our projects. Does the afterlife seem to be equally significant in every case? Can you think of some projects that seem more or less dependent on the afterlife? Do you think a life worth living could be entirely independent of the afterlife?

Accepted Answer

Scheffler believes that the afterlife co

Exam 28: The Significance of Future Generations

Altshuler argues that we can attain immortality in which of the following ways?

Which of the following is the problem of action Beauvoir is trying to solve?

Which of the following does Scheffler ask us not to consider when reflecting on the Doomsday Scenario?

Hans Morgenthau holds that nuclear war would destroy our attempts to seek meaning because:

Altshuler suggests that confidence in the afterlife may support each of the following EXCEPT:

According to Scheffler, what is a reason we engage with various traditions and social groups?

Defining Death

Defining Death in a Technological World

We Die When Entropy Overwhelms Homeostasis

What It Is to Die

The Tragic Sense of Life Excerpts

Can We Survive Our Deaths

The Possibility of an Afterlife

Letter to Menoeceus

Two Arguments for Epicureanism

Why Death Is Not Bad for the One Who Dies

Death Is Bad for Us When Were Dead

Making Death Not Quite As Bad for the One Who Dies

On the Nature of Things Excerpts

If You Want to Die Later, Then Why Dont You Want to Have Been Born Earlier

Coming Into and Going Out of Existence

The Epic of Gilgamesh Excerpts

The Story of the Man Who Did Not Wish to Die

How to Live a Never-Ending Novela

Taking Stock of the Risks of Life Without Death

Immortality, Boredom, and Standing for Something

Death, Mortality, and Meaning

Fitting Attitudes Towards Deprivations

The Enchiridion Excerpts

Setting the Wheel of Dhamma in Motion Excerpts

Voluntary Death Excerpts

Letter to Lucilius

Why Grieve

Death and Survival Online

Whether One Is Allowed to Kill Oneself Excerpts

Of Suicide Excerpts

Suicide Is Sometimes Rational and Morally Defensible

Suicide and Its Discontents

An Irrational Suicide

World As Will and Representation Excerpts

Death in Mind

Meaning in Life in Spite of Death

Out of the Blue Into the Black

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