IB Philosophy - Core Theme Exam Study Guide
Questions And Answers Verified 100% Correct
Thomas Hobbes (mind and machine problem) - ANSWER "..for what is the heart but a
spring, and nerves but so many strings and the joints, but so many wheels?.." (we are
the same as machines)
Functionalism - ANSWER defines mental processes in terms of their functions
Brain - ANSWER (hardware) a device that requires an input to process an output
Mind - ANSWER (software) can be run on different platforms and machines
The Turing Test (Alan Turing) - ANSWER the computer must fool you into believing it
is a human. Turing believed it was possible to create machine like a human.
The Chinese Room (John Searle) - ANSWER The machine has no concept of
understanding, only translating with guide book. We can't make a machine that
understands human language. (Human consciousness only exists in human brains)
Hubert Dreyfus (problem of minds and machines) - ANSWER Higher-level behaviour
depends upon intuition and common sense. These can not be formalised as a set o f
computational rules.
Determinism - ANSWER not free to make our own choices. Science denies any
freedom to humans.
Newton's 3rd law - ANSWER for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction,
everything that happens has a cause
Doctrine of Universal Causation - ANSWER states that everything has a cause,
effects are predictable (dominoes)
Evolutionary psychology - ANSWER (Hard determinism) Human psychological traits
are evolved adaptations.
Leopold and Loeb - ANSWER Blamed evolutionary psychology when they murdered a
child as they held no responsibility
Libertarianism - ANSWER humans are free to act in any way we choose. The
, universe is subject to laws of physics but humans are not
Existentialist phenomenology - ANSWER we can only know the world through out
own subjective experience. Free to choose own destiny
Character vs, Moral Self - ANSWER Character determined by environment
(upbringing, evolutionary psychology etc) Moral self has ability to resist these character
traits. We can deny out character
The Basic Argument (Galen Strawson) - ANSWER Character determines moral self.
To be truly morally responsible, you'd have to be in control of your character. Nothing
can be 'CAUSA SUI' (cause for oneself)
Compatibilism - ANSWER (Soft determinism) maintains a balance between freedom
and ultimate responsibility. Our actions are determined but we are free to choose how to
do that action.
Galen Strawson (compatibilism) - ANSWER It is meaningful to refer to certain actions
as 'free' as this reflects natural human commitment to interpersonal attitudes.
The Ship of Thesus - ANSWER Is the ship still the same 'Ship of thesus' after the
wooden planks have been replaced over time?
Problem of Persistence - ANSWER What types of changes can someone undergo
without 'ceasing to exist'?
Numerical identity - ANSWER whether your earlier/later self is one thing rather than
two (you and your childhood)
Qualitative identity - ANSWER two things being exactly similar (your shape, height,
strength etc)
The Simple View (Dualism) (Plato + Descartes) - ANSWER The persistence of the
soul guarantees identity over time. Theory avoids physical change.
Bodily Continuity (Materialism) - ANSWER The identity of a person is determined
physically.
John Locke (Bodily Continuity) - ANSWER "we speak of the same oak tree from the
sapling to the full grown tree, but there seems little in common between the two.."
Chain of memory (Thomas Reid) - ANSWER as long as there is a chain of memories,
there is psychological continuity
Questions And Answers Verified 100% Correct
Thomas Hobbes (mind and machine problem) - ANSWER "..for what is the heart but a
spring, and nerves but so many strings and the joints, but so many wheels?.." (we are
the same as machines)
Functionalism - ANSWER defines mental processes in terms of their functions
Brain - ANSWER (hardware) a device that requires an input to process an output
Mind - ANSWER (software) can be run on different platforms and machines
The Turing Test (Alan Turing) - ANSWER the computer must fool you into believing it
is a human. Turing believed it was possible to create machine like a human.
The Chinese Room (John Searle) - ANSWER The machine has no concept of
understanding, only translating with guide book. We can't make a machine that
understands human language. (Human consciousness only exists in human brains)
Hubert Dreyfus (problem of minds and machines) - ANSWER Higher-level behaviour
depends upon intuition and common sense. These can not be formalised as a set o f
computational rules.
Determinism - ANSWER not free to make our own choices. Science denies any
freedom to humans.
Newton's 3rd law - ANSWER for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction,
everything that happens has a cause
Doctrine of Universal Causation - ANSWER states that everything has a cause,
effects are predictable (dominoes)
Evolutionary psychology - ANSWER (Hard determinism) Human psychological traits
are evolved adaptations.
Leopold and Loeb - ANSWER Blamed evolutionary psychology when they murdered a
child as they held no responsibility
Libertarianism - ANSWER humans are free to act in any way we choose. The
, universe is subject to laws of physics but humans are not
Existentialist phenomenology - ANSWER we can only know the world through out
own subjective experience. Free to choose own destiny
Character vs, Moral Self - ANSWER Character determined by environment
(upbringing, evolutionary psychology etc) Moral self has ability to resist these character
traits. We can deny out character
The Basic Argument (Galen Strawson) - ANSWER Character determines moral self.
To be truly morally responsible, you'd have to be in control of your character. Nothing
can be 'CAUSA SUI' (cause for oneself)
Compatibilism - ANSWER (Soft determinism) maintains a balance between freedom
and ultimate responsibility. Our actions are determined but we are free to choose how to
do that action.
Galen Strawson (compatibilism) - ANSWER It is meaningful to refer to certain actions
as 'free' as this reflects natural human commitment to interpersonal attitudes.
The Ship of Thesus - ANSWER Is the ship still the same 'Ship of thesus' after the
wooden planks have been replaced over time?
Problem of Persistence - ANSWER What types of changes can someone undergo
without 'ceasing to exist'?
Numerical identity - ANSWER whether your earlier/later self is one thing rather than
two (you and your childhood)
Qualitative identity - ANSWER two things being exactly similar (your shape, height,
strength etc)
The Simple View (Dualism) (Plato + Descartes) - ANSWER The persistence of the
soul guarantees identity over time. Theory avoids physical change.
Bodily Continuity (Materialism) - ANSWER The identity of a person is determined
physically.
John Locke (Bodily Continuity) - ANSWER "we speak of the same oak tree from the
sapling to the full grown tree, but there seems little in common between the two.."
Chain of memory (Thomas Reid) - ANSWER as long as there is a chain of memories,
there is psychological continuity
