IDST Midterm (ChatGPT Edition)

Question 1

Who was Thomas Aquinas?

Answer 1

A medieval philosopher and theologian who integrated Aristotelian philosophy with Christian doctrine.

Question 2

What is ‘Summa Theologica’?

Answer 2

A work by Thomas Aquinas aimed at reconciling faith and reason.

Question 3

What did Thomas Aquinas argue about reason and faith?

Answer 3

He argued that reason and faith are not contradictory but complementary.

Question 4

Who was Pico Della Mirandola?

Answer 4

A Renaissance humanist who wrote ‘Oration on the Dignity of Man,’ emphasizing human potential and free will.

Question 5

What is a core idea of Renaissance Humanism?

Answer 5

Humans can shape their destiny through knowledge and virtue.

Question 6

What does optimism refer to in philosophical terms?

Answer 6

A belief in positive outcomes and the potential for human progress.

Question 7

Which thinkers debated optimism?

Answer 7

Leibniz and Voltaire.

Question 8

What did Leibniz famously argue?

Answer 8

That we live in the ‘best of all possible worlds.’

Question 9

What is reason in the modern sense?

Answer 9

The use of logical and empirical methods to understand the world.

Question 10

What did the Enlightenment emphasize?

Answer 10

Reason as the foundation for science, ethics, and governance.

Question 11

What is Scholasticism?

Answer 11

A medieval school of thought that sought to reconcile classical philosophy with Christian theology.

Question 12

Who were prominent figures in Scholasticism?

Answer 12

Thomas Aquinas and others who provided systematic theological arguments.

Question 13

What is Renaissance Humanism?

Answer 13

A cultural and intellectual movement emphasizing the study of classical antiquity and human potential.

Question 14

Who revived Greek and Roman texts during the Renaissance?

Answer 14

Figures like Petrarch and Erasmus.

Question 15

What are Intensifications, Inversions, and Unmaskings?

Answer 15

Concepts linked to postmodern critiques revealing hidden assumptions and power dynamics.

Question 16

Who explored the concept of Intensifications, Inversions, and Unmaskings?

Answer 16

Nietzsche, Foucault, and Derrida.

Question 17

What is disenchantment or demythologization?

Answer 17

The process by which supernatural explanations are replaced by rational, scientific ones.

Question 18

Who described modernity as a period of disenchantment?

Answer 18

Max Weber.

Question 19

Who was Francis Bacon?

Answer 19

A philosopher and scientist who developed the empirical method.

Question 20

What is the empirical method?

Answer 20

An approach emphasizing observation and experimentation.

Question 21

What did Bacon advocate for?

Answer 21

Inductive reasoning.

Question 22

How did Bacon’s philosophy align with Protestant values?

Answer 22

It reflected ideals of individual inquiry and skepticism toward established authority.

Question 23

What is providential deliverance in Bacon’s philosophy?

Answer 23

The idea that scientific progress aligns with divine providence.

Question 24

What is the scientific, empirical, or experimental method?

Answer 24

A systematic approach to knowledge based on observation, hypothesis, and experimentation.

Question 25

What is secularization?

Answer 25

The process by which religious influence diminishes in public and intellectual life.

Question 26

What does progress refer to in philosophical terms?

Answer 26

The belief in continual improvement in human society.

Question 27

Who argued that human history follows a trajectory of progress?

Answer 27

Thinkers like Condorcet and Comte.

Question 28

Who was King James I?

Answer 28

A monarch known for commissioning the King James Bible.

Question 29

What conflicts occurred during King James I's rule?

Answer 29

Conflicts over divine right monarchy and religious disputes.

Question 30

What is superstition?

Answer 30

Beliefs or practices considered irrational or unscientific.

Question 31

What did Enlightenment thinkers seek to replace?

Answer 31

Superstition with reason and scientific inquiry.

Question 32

Who was Immanuel Kant?

Answer 32

A philosopher known for his work in epistemology and ethics.

Question 33

What is the 'categorical imperative'?

Answer 33

A concept by Kant emphasizing universal moral duties.

Question 34

What is debate in philosophical discourse?

Answer 34

A structured discussion or argument central to seeking truth.

Question 35

Who used debate to challenge assumptions?

Answer 35

Ancient Greek philosophers like Socrates.

Question 36

What is the Enlightenment?

Answer 36

An intellectual movement emphasizing reason, individualism, and scientific inquiry.

Question 37

Who influenced democratic revolutions during the Enlightenment?

Answer 37

Thinkers like Voltaire, Rousseau, and Locke.

Question 38

What is Salomon’s House?

Answer 38

A fictional institution in Bacon’s 'New Atlantis' representing an ideal scientific academy.

Question 39

Who was Karl Marx?

Answer 39

A political theorist and economist who developed the theory of communism.

Question 40

What is the proletariat in Marxist theory?

Answer 40

The working class exploited under capitalism.

Question 41

What is revolution?

Answer 41

A fundamental change in political or social structures.

Question 42

What are examples of revolutions?

Answer 42

The French and Russian Revolutions.

Question 43

What is objectivity?

Answer 43

The idea that knowledge should be free from personal bias.

Question 44

Who was Friedrich Nietzsche?

Answer 44

A philosopher known for his critiques of morality and religion.

Question 45

What is the 'will to power' in Nietzsche's philosophy?

Answer 45

The fundamental drive for growth and overcoming obstacles.

Question 46

Who were Socrates and Plato?

Answer 46

Ancient Greek philosophers influential in Western thought.

Question 47

What is metaphysical materialism?

Answer 47

The belief that only physical matter exists.

Question 48

What is methodological materialism?

Answer 48

A scientific approach assuming observable phenomena can be explained through natural causes.

Question 49

What is the difference between values and virtues?

Answer 49

Values are personal beliefs, while virtues are enduring character traits.

Question 50

What is constructivism?

Answer 50

The theory that knowledge and reality are socially constructed.

Question 51

What is the distinction between stance and agenda?

Answer 51

Stance is adopting a position, while agenda is pushing a predetermined goal.

Question 52

What is decadence?

Answer 52

A state of moral or cultural decline.

Question 53

What is pessimism?

Answer 53

A belief that life is ultimately meaningless or that suffering outweighs joy.

Question 54

What does responsibility mean for Nietzsche?

Answer 54

The idea that individuals must create their own values.

Question 55

What is human nature, the self, or identity?

Answer 55

Concepts related to individual existence and personal development.

Question 56

Who was Sigmund Freud?

Answer 56

A psychologist known for psychoanalysis and theories on human behavior.

Question 57

What is Freud's model of the mind?

Answer 57

The id represents instincts, the ego mediates reality, and the superego enforces morality.

Question 58

What is repression in psychoanalysis?

Answer 58

The unconscious suppression of desires or memories.

Question 59

What is false consciousness?

Answer 59

A Marxist concept where individuals misperceive their social position.

Question 60

What is postmodernism?

Answer 60

A philosophical movement questioning objective truth and traditional authority.

Question 61

What is modernism?

Answer 61

An artistic and intellectual movement emphasizing progress and reason.

Question 62

What is perspectivism?

Answer 62

Nietzsche’s idea that all knowledge is interpreted through individual perspectives.

Question 63

What does 'Us vs. Them' refer to?

Answer 63

A sociopolitical concept describing group identity and division.