Phil 1301 Test #2

Phil 1301 Test II Prof. Aiman Part I: Multiple choice: choose the best answer (3 points each) 1. Which of the following would a romantic like Rousseau, be inclined to say about private property? A. Laws that encourage the use of deadly force in response to private property disputes should be supported. B. Ownership of land is a God given right and should be treated as such. C. It is what saves us from the horrible conditions in the state of nature. D. Attaching power to ownership of land is one of the main contributors to social inequality. 2. Which of the following is/are an example(s) of a dominant idea believed by early moderns like Descartes or Hobbes? A. The status quo was working so well, that it shouldn’t be upset or altered. B. Adherence to the authority of religious figures and ancient texts was the way to the ‘good life’. C. Science and not superstition were the way to solve the problems that plagued humanity. D. All of the above. 3. Which of the following is characteristic of the philosophical movement of Romanticism? A. The promotion of reason and rationality as ways to live the ‘good life’. B. The optimism that science and scientific methods will bring us to new heights of greatness. C. Moonlight walks and candle-light dinners and enjoying a good opera. D. Uncovering unnatural distributions of power. 4. To the student who only shows up on ‘Test Day’ to a college class they are paying for and tries to google every answer instead of engaging in the lessons and materials provided, Rousseau would say which of the following: A. If you can pull it off, good for you, it’s only philosophy, right? B. That value should be determined by external factors like grades. C. That you have conned yourself into (erroneously) thinking that you can be successful that way. (see the phrase, ‘in class provided lessons ’ in bold in each of the essays — good luck) D. All of the above. Part II: True/False (3 points each) 5. For Rousseau, we are all equal because we can all kill each other. TRUE 6. For Rousseau, society saves us from ourselves. False Part III: Short Answer: In a couple of actual complete sentences, respond to the following in a way as suggested by the actual class lessons: (5 points each)

7. How would Rousseau explain the all-too-common phenomena of students cheating on exams? Rousseau would describe the act of cheating as the self-interest of the individual. He would be disappointed with the state of our educational system because we placed an extrinsic value on our education. We have placed the focus on what score we get and not how we learn things but what we learn. This puts the students having a hard time trying to memorize things and not learn the material. 8. “Descartes’ proof that God must exist is a purely empirical proof.” Is that statement true? Why or why not? This statement is not true because Descartes states that there must be perfect if there is something that is imperfect. The perfect idea would be the thought to be God. He doesn’t use empirical proof, but he uses pure reason as his evidence and does not have a very strong argument. Part IV: Essays: Write on TWO of the following questions. Aim for about a full page (or more) to each response (so two pages in total) (35 points each) 1. Rousseau writes: “Each one began to look at others, and to want to be looked at himself, and public esteem had a value... ” What is he saying here, and how does this relate to the broader critical themes Rousseau develops including the idea of alienation as discussed in class provided lessons ? 2. Discuss and critically evaluate Descartes’ proof that God must exist. That is; fully explain the responses and replies to this ‘proof’ as discussed in class provided lessons . 3. Discuss the major differences between Hobbes and Rousseau that were developed in class provided lessons. Try to be specific when possible. Don’t just list differences, explain them. 4. Discuss Rousseau’s thoughts on education as developed in class provided lessons . What are the goals of education and how he likely would react to the current trends in education in the United States? 5. Rousseau also writes, “…it was necessary to show himself to be something other than what he in fact was. Being something and appearing to be something became two completely different things…” How does this observation relate to what society in essence “trains” us to become as discussed in class provided lessons ? Give examples where appropriate.

and good for kids. Right now, in 2023 there are so many things that a lot of parents want to keep away from their kids to keep them safe. Examples are cyberbullying, pornography, and pear pressure. These three items are all over the internet and in society right now. Many kids discover this from their friends, the internet, and social media. If you walk into a room with kids each one of them has a phone or a tablet and is entertained by YouTube, social media or even gaming apps such as Roblox. The goal of education is to teach kids knowledge and socialization. The education in school is different for elementary, middle, and high school. They require different curriculum to pass to the next level of school. Now in days education isn’t something that is being prioritized. You really can go to school for 12 years and graduate without learning or comprehending anything. If Rousseau lived today in 2023 and saw the education system, he would for sure be so shocked because the education system today uses technology and so much fighting in schools over dumb reasoning. Education today isn’t prioritized, and I think Rousseau would be so upset with it. Kids are forced to take STAAR testing and TELPAS to determine if they can speak perfect English and see if your smart enough to pass the exam to pass onto the next level which is so unfair. I think what will infuriate Rousseau is how many school systems see education as dollar signs and see all the students as floating dollars because they make money with who walks in and out that classroom. They even get bonuses when their school scores overall of STAAR are high and better than the rest of the schools. Rousseau saw education as something that can help so many kids who want to learn and be actual kids not all this technology that has evolved. You won’t see those kids who would go play outside every day after school or do things kids did back then now, they are either learning a new TikTok dance or becoming lazy people and eventually getting obese or having serious health problems. Education today is honestly sad, and I don’t think kids learn anything honestly as I did when I was in school.