Final Exam Study Questions
- Some people believe that death is a bad thing because it causes us to stop existing. Others believe that death is a bad thing because it abruptly interrupts our projects. How would Epicurus respond to these people? Consider Thomas Nagel’s example of the intelligent person who has received a brain injury. How does Nagel use this example to show that Epicurus is wrong, and that death really does harm us?
- Consider Sartre’s examples of the man in the park and the peeping Tom. What happens to my freedom when I encounter the man in the park? What happens to my freedom if I suddenly discover that somebody is observing me being a peeping Tom?
- Explain why R.G. Collingwood believes that the work of art is an imaginary object and not a physical object. If a famous painting were to be stolen from a museum, many art lovers would be very upset. Somebody might point to this and argue that if the work of art were not a physical object, why would art lovers get so upset over the painting being stolen? Surely, she might argue, this would show that art objects are actually physical objects. Can Collingwood successfully defend his view against this argument? Explain why or why not.
- Consider Sartre’s story of the woman who is going out with a man for the first time. What attitude is she taking towards the man’s words? What attitude is she taking towards his actions? How do these attitudes cause her to be in bad faith?
- Consider David Lewis’s example of Tim, who has gone back in time to try to kill his grandfather. Why does Lewis believe that even though Tim can travel back in time, he will not succeed in killing grandfather? Why does Lewis believe that the past cannot be changed? What (if anything) does Lewis’s views about the past say about the possibility of time travel?
