Theory of Knowledge December Practice Quiz

 

 

Short answer questions:

1)      Write out an example of deductive and one of inductive logic.  Make sure to label which is which. What is required for a sound argument?

2)      Create your own valid syllogism.  Name what category of syllogism it is.

3)      Briefly discuss how brain imaging techniques have changed our understanding of the brain.  (Include a description of how an imaging techniques works and an example of what we know now that we didn’t know without imaging.)

4)      Give an example of “persistence of convention.”

5)      What did Protagoras mean by his statement that "man is the measure of all things?"

6)      Briefly describe the difference between "knowing how" and "knowing that." Give an example of something you know from each. Be sure to make clear which example is which.

7)      Describe the requirements of propositional knowledge.   Give an example of something that satisfies all of the requirements.

8)      A couple of the problems we found with “naming and meaning” were ambiguity and redundancy.  Outline an example of each.

9)      Describe what phantom limb syndrome is and explain why it occurs.

10)  What is proprioception?

11)  Find as many logical fallacies as you can in the following passage:

 

Energy Policy

       There is no good reason to suppose that solar energy will be capable of meeting all of our energy needs. And since solar energy is incapable of meeting our energy needs, it is clear that we must not decrease government support for nuclear energy.

     For all their thinly disguised rhetoric, founded upon the cheapest misrepresentations of scientific fact, the environmentalists have not yet succeeded in laying to rest the uncomfortable visions that accompany the thought of a future without nuclear energy. One can imagine a human race thrown into chaos by the spectre of starvation and cold. Already there have been instances of elderly persons on fixed incomes literally freezing to death because they could not afford heating fuel. As the top executives of every major oil corporation have pointed out, we can all expect to endure some energy shortages in the near future. The energy problems that face this nation, and the entire world, are nothing less than a crisis.

     Despite the seriousness of the situation, many environmentalists propose that we should now abandon nuclear energy and rely entirely on passive solar energy. How are we to meet the energy needs of the world on an energy source as unreliable and costly as solar energy? You can take it from me that all of the various tricks that masquerade under the head of solar "technology" are pitifully inefficient. Using the greenhouse effect to heat water, for example, rarely succeeds in increasing the water temperature to slightly below tepid. From this we may infer that all of the other methods of solar heating are equally inefficient, and since this is true it should be obvious that solar technology as a whole cannot possibly collect enough energy to meet the needs of an ever-increasing world population.

     We must, therefore, not abandon our efforts to improve nuclear technology. Although not all the bugs have been worked out of our present nuclear reactors, the environmentalists have no room for complaint. Solar energy is also far from perfect. More importantly, we must not reduce governmental support for nuclear power. The recent energy shortage followed directly on the heels of precisely such a reduction in governmental support. Had the government not relaxed its efforts on behalf of nuclear energy, the country would never have had to endure that devastating crunch.

 

Medium length answer questions. (Do 1 and either 2 or 3.) :

1)      Compare two of the “Good Reasons for Knowing.”  Consider how each of the ways you choose functions, both when it is “working” and when it fails.  Use examples from class discussions, labs, readings, assignments and your own research for projects to back up your points.  (About three or four paragraphs.  One page.)

2)      Outline how one of the senses works.  Consider the function of the sensory organ as well as the interpretation of this data by the brain.  Include details of what you can distinguish with the sense when it is functioning correctly and the type and nature of malfunctions of the sense.  (Two paragraphs.  About half to two thirds of a page.)

3)      Describe your (or someone else’s) brain project topic.  (Two paragraphs.  About half to two thirds of a page.)

 

 

Choose one of the following essay questions (about 5 or 6 paragraphs.  A page and a half.):

1)      Discuss the role that communication plays in knowledge.  Consider:  how communications relates to the good reasons of knowing, how words and meaning (the basis of communication) work and when and how they do not work well.

2)      Discuss the brain and how it relates to knowledge.  Consider: how the brain relates to the good reasons for knowing, and ways in which it does not do its job correctly.  Use examples from the brain project presentations (see the study guides online) and the class discussions we had on the scientific view of the brain.