Exercise Instructions Read the Philosophical Passages and Then Answer the Following Questions

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Exercise Instructions Read the philosophical passages and then answer the following questions. Please provide a brief explanation for each answer. Feel free to refer back to the glossary as needed.

Passage 1 Whatever knowledge is attainable, must be attained by scientific methods; and what science cannot discover, mankind cannot know.1

*1. Which of the following philosophical positions is most con- sonant with Passage 1? (a) Monotheism (b) Agnosticism (c) Polytheism (d) Nonevidentialism

Passage 2 God is the cause of all things, which are in him.2

Passage 3 Whatever is moved must therefore be moved by something else. If, then, that by which it is moved is itself moved, this also must be moved by something else, and this in turn by something else again. But this cannot go on forever, since there would then be no first mover, and consequently no other mover . . . We are therefore bound to arrive at a first mover which is not moved by anything, and all men understand that this is God.3

Exercises marked with an ‘*’ indicate that suggested answers are available in the textbook http://philosophy.finn.continuumbooks.com ©Stephen J. Finn, Jesse Zuck, Bob Underwood and Chris Case (2012) The Philosophy Skills Book London: Continuum Books THE PHILOSOPHY SKILLS BOOK

2. The author of Passage 2 is most likely which of the following? (a) A pantheist (b) An agnostic (c) An atheist (d) A polytheist 3. Passage 3 is best described as containing which of the following? (a) A cosmological argument (b) A defense of pantheism (c) A design argument (d) A description of polytheism 4. Which of the following would the author of Passage 3 most likely accept? (a) Atheism (b) Fideism (c) Evidentialism (d) Nonevidentialism *5. The authors of both Passage 2 and Passage 3 would most likely agree on which of the following claims? (a) There is no good response to the problem of evil. (b) Theism is true and polytheism is false. (c) Monotheism is superior to pantheism. (d) Agosticism and nonevidentialism are both true.

Passage 4 We see how some things, like natural bodies, work for an end even though they have no knowledge. The fact that they nearly always operate in the same way, and so as to achieve the maxi- mum good, makes this obvious, and shows us that they attain their end by design, not by chance. Now things which have no knowledge tend towards an end only through the agency of something which knows and also understands, as an arrow through an archer. There is therefore an intelligent being by whom all natural things are directed to their end.4

Passage 5 Why, then, should we not praise God with unspeakable praise, simply because when he made those souls who would persevere in the laws of justice, he made others who he foresaw would sin, even some who would persevere in sin? For even such souls are better than souls that cannot sin because they lack reason and free choice of the will. And these souls are in turn better than the brilliance of any material object, however splendid, which some people mistakenly worship instead of the Most High God.5

Passage 6 For if the God does not exist it would be of course impossible to prove it; and if he does exist it would be folly to attempt it. There is no other road to faith; if one wished to escape risk, it is as if one wanted to know with certainty that he can swim before going into the water.6

6. Passage 4 is best described as offering support for which of the following? (a) An ontological argument (b) A design argument (c) A cosmological argument (d) An argument for agnosticism 7. Passage 5 is most likely written as a response to which of the following? (a) A cosmological argument (b) The problem of evil (c) An argument for monotheism (d) Fideism 8. Passage 5 is best described as which of the following? (a) An expression of the design argument (b) A criticism of theism (c) A defense of atheism (d) An example of a theodicy

*9. The author of Passage 6 is best described as which of the following? (a) A proponent of fideism and an opponent of nonevidentialism (b) A proponent of theism and an advocate of the ontological argument (c) A proponent of fideism and an opponent of evidentialism (d) An opponent of polytheism and an advocate of the design argument

10. Which of the following is not found in any of the Passages 4–6? (a) An ontological argument (b) An expression of fideism (c) An expression of theism (d) A proposed answer to the problem of evil