Quiz 5

Hume, An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding

1. The skeptical solution to Hume's skeptical doubts involves:
a. a proof that induction or knowledge of the future is possible.
b. a proof that the future must be like the past.
c. nature's having made us users of inductive inference.
d. a refutation of his skeptical doubts.

2. A crucial step in Hume's skepticism with regard to the understanding (or induction
or arguments from experience) is that:
a. relations of ideas may be false.
b. it is no self-contradiction to deny that a regularity persists into the future.
c. we cannot have impressions from the future or unobserved.
d. relations of ideas must be true.

3. Hume equates (true) matters of fact with those which are:
a. necessarily true.
b. known a priori (without experience).
c. known a posteriori (with experience).
d. uncertain.

4. For Hume, the uniformity of nature:
a. if denied, implies a contradiction.
b. can only be shown true through inductive argument.
c. implies that causal relations are inherent in objects.
d. is assumed by transitions among relations of ideas.

5. Impressions and ideas differ in their:
a. vivacity
b. duration.
c. intuitive credibility.
d. meaningfulness.

6. For Hume, a miracle is:
a. an act of god.
b. any event that is highly unexpected.
c. impossible.
d. a violation of the laws of nature.

7. For Hume the dispute over liberty (free will) and necessity (determinism):
a. is irresolvable.
b. is verbal.
c. requires rejecting liberty.
d. requires rejecting necessity.

8. Hume's "solution" to his skepticism (in regards to induction or experiential
arguments) is:
a. descriptive.
b. normative.
c. both descriptive and normative.
d. neither descriptive nor normative.

9. For Hume, liberty is not:
a. to act responsibly.
b. to act freely.
c. for one's actions to be caused.
d. to act out of chance.

10. Liberty requires:
a. causality.
b. chance.
c. moral responsibility.
d. spontaneity.

11. A key problem for an empiricist like Hume is to explain our knowledge of the:
a. past.
b. present.
c. observable.
d. unobservable.

12. The attempt to justify the uniformity of nature is:
a. valid.
b. circular.
c. invalid.
d. unnecessary.

13.Hume's conclusion about miracles is best expressed as:
a. there are no miracles.
b. there probably are no miracles.
c. we should be cautious in accepting reports of a miracle.
d. there is good reason to doubt any report of a miracle.

14. Hume's doubts about testimony of miracles stem from:
a. his doubts that much testimony is truthful.
b. evidence for laws of nature.
c. his disbelief in god.
d. his disbelief in miracles.

15. For Hume, no testimony can establish a miracle unless:
a. the falsehood of the testimony is proven.
b. the truth of the testimony is proven.
c. the falsehood of the testimony would be more miraculous.
d. the truth of the testimony would be more miraculous.

16. Which of the following would Hume classify as a relation of ideas:
a. The earth revolves around the sun.
b. Cats are cute.
c. No man is immortal.
d. 2+3=5

17. For Hume, the foundation of knowledge is:
a. ideas.
b. impressions.
c. matters of fact.
d. relations of ideas.

18. Causation for Hume is:
a. necessary connections.
b. constant conjunction.
c. an illusion.
d. opposed to liberty.

19. Morality for Hume requires:
a. chance.
b. impressions.
c. responsibility.
d. unpredictability.

20. In support of compatibilism, Hume observes that peoples' actions are mainly:
a. spontaneous.
b. unique.
c. regular.
d. necessary.

21. Hume claims that causation as regularity or succession of events is the same
as ("in other words"):
a. necessary connection.
b. habit or custom.
c. were the cause not to occur, the effect would not.
d. the laws of nature as impossible to violate.

22. Hume's test for the meaningfulness of a philosophical term rests on the
distinction between:
a. matters of fact and relations of ideas.
b. necessity and contingency.
c. a priori and a posteriori
d. impressions and ideas.

23. Every thought or idea, for Hume, must be analyzable as a set:
a. of impressions.
b. of matter of fact truths.
c. of observations.
d. of relations of ideas.

24. Whenever ideas are intelligible and can be distinctly conceived they imply,
for Hume:
a. no contradiction.
b. no falsehood.
c. each other.
d. that there are similar underlying impressions.

25. Liberty, for Hume, should be opposed to:
a. necessity, not constraint.
b. constraint, not necessity.
c. chance and necessity.
d. necessity, but not chance.

26. Which of the following is not among Hume's principles for connecting ideas:
a. resemblance.
b. continuity in time or place.
c. reflection.
d. causality.

27. For Hume, I cannot know a priori that:
a. 2+10=12.
b. a new piece of bread will nourish me.
c. miracles violate laws of nature.
d. bachelors are unmarried.

28. Reports of miracles are less believable, according to Hume, than reports of:
a. violations of logical laws.
b. denials of relations of ideas.
c. improbable occurrences e.g. someone's winning a lottery.
d. the marvelous or extra-ordinary.

29. Hume holds that the belief in genuine chance is explained by:
a. our ignorance of real causes.
b. the existence of genuine chance.
c. custom.
d. constant conjunction.

 

[Answers: 1. C   2. B   3. C   4. B   5. A   6. D   7. B   8. C   9. D   10. A   11. D   12. B   13. D   14. B   15. C   1 6. D   17. B   18. B   19. C   20. C   21. C   22. D   23. A   24. A   25. B   26. C   27. B   28. D   29. A]

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