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An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding

David Hume

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Summary
Further Study
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Further Study

Review Quiz

Further Study Review Quiz

1. Which of the following qualities is characteristic of "easy and obvious" philosophy?

It fares poorly in posterity
It follows inductive methods
It tries to direct our behavior
It has very little use outside of philosophical speculation

2. Whom of the following thinkers does Hume consider an "easy and obvious" philosopher?

Cicero
Malebranche
Aristotle
Locke

3. Whom might Hume consider the best model to follow in terms of methodology?

Descartes
Aristotle
Plato
Newton

4. Which of the following is NOT an impression?

My memory of my cat
My perception of my cat
My love of my cat
My desire that my cat should love me

5. Which of the following is NOT an idea?

My thought that I should get my car washed
My desire to wash my car
My memory of having washed my car
My belief that my car is clean

6. Which of the following is fundamental?

Simple impressions
Complex impressions
Simply ideas
Complex ideas

7. Which of the following is NOT a fundamental law of association of ideas?

Contiguity
Contrariety
Resemblance
Cause and effect

8. Which of the following statements is a relation of ideas?

"I love my cat."
"The Allies won the Second World War."
"The square of the hypotenuse of a right triangle is equal to the sum of the squares of its legs."
"All meaningful expressions are either relations of ideas or matters of fact."

9. Which of the following statements is true of a matter of fact?

It must be verified in experience
It cannot be denied without contradiction
It is necessarily true
We know it a priori

10. How can I rationally justify my belief that the sun will rise tomorrow?

By appealing to demonstrative reasoning
By inferring a necessary connection from past experience
Causal inference
None of the above

11. How do we come to infer a connection between cause and effect?

Demonstrative reasoning
Moral reasoning
Habit
A gift from the gods

12. What is a belief a combination of?

Probability and imagination
Custom and probability
Habit and custom
Fiction and imagination

13. Which of the following ideas has no correspondent simple impression?

Constant conjunction
Necessary connection
Belief
Memory

14. According to an occasionalist, what is the real cause of a billiard ball's motion?

Another billiard ball
The person playing billiards
God
There is no rational justification for seeing anything as the cause.

15. What side does Hume take in the debate between free will and determinism?

Libertarian
Hard determinist
Compatibilist
Skeptic

16. Who is the ultimate judge of what is right and what is wrong in human moral practice?

Society as a whole
Each individual on his or her own
God
There is no rational ground for moral judgment

17. How do humans differ from animals?

Humans do not rely on instinct
Humans can infer necessary connections between events by means of reason
Humans learn from experience
Humans are very good at drawing general inferences from experience

18. Which of the following does Hume NOT provide as a reason not to believe in miracles?

No evidence of miracles is supported by sufficient reliable testimony
Reports of miracles are most frequent among ignorant or barbarous people
Different religions hold conflicting views about miracles
He has never observed a miracle

19. What can we say about God's existence?

It can be verified in experience
It can be proven by means of reason
It is an empty hypothesis
Its effects are everywhere evident in the universe

20. Which of the following kinds of skepticism does Hume associate with Descartes?

Extreme antecedent skepticism
Mitigated antecedent skepticism
Extreme consequent skepticism
Mitigated consequent skepticism

21. Which of the following kinds of skepticism is Hume most in favor of?

Extreme antecedent skepticism
Mitigated antecedent skepticism
Extreme consequent skepticism
Mitigated consequent skepticism

22. What kind of reasoning, according to Hume, justifies metaphysical speculations?

Moral reasoning
Demonstrative reasoning
Causal reasoning
None of the above

23. Which of the following philosophers was most deeply influenced by Hume?

Rene Descartes
Immanuel Kant
John Locke
Nicolas Malebranche

24. Which of the following philosophers is not a rationalist?

Rene Descartes
Nicolas Malebranche
John Locke
Baruch Spinoza

25. Which of the following terms is dissimilar from the others?

Constant conjunction
Instinct
Necessary connection
Custom

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