Final Exam

FINAL EXAMINATION

Introduction to Philosophy

Professor David C. Lane

Guideline: Be sure to use pertinent quotes from the required films/books to back up your arguments.

1.    Your name: Maria Sandoval

2.    Your midterm grade (before and after revisions): the midterm grade before revision was not provided. The final grade is the class was provided and it was 85%.

3.    Complete list of all your essays answers as required per week (includes everything you have done for the semester).

Week 1:

According to the reading, The Socratic Quest, Socrates was brought to trial under two charges. The charges were the following: “…one that he did not believe in the gods recognized by the State, the other that he had corrupted the Athenian youth by his teachings” (pg. 2). One can read in The Apology of Socrates how Socrates tries to defend himself and present his arguments about the accusations for which he was brought to trial for. Even though he tries to convince the jury that he has done nothing wrong, he is found guilty and sentenced to death. Now, the real reason behind his sentence to death goes beyond the accusations presented at the moment of trial. Throughout his apology, or defense, Socrates said the following: “…that in which they said that you ought to be on your guard lest you should be deceived by me, as being eloquent in speech…I am not by any means eloquent, this seemed to me the most shameless thing in them [the accusations], unless indeed they call him eloquent who speaks the truth” (pg. 29). In here and throughout ‘The Apologia’, Socrates’ defense during trial, he repeats many times that he is not doing anything wrong, and that he is simply speaking the truth. I believe that the main reason why he was sentenced to death was because the people of Athena did not want to hear the truth about things. They found Socrates’ teachings uncomfortable because they represented a change in the way of thinking and doing things. Socrates was different; his teaching style was also different. Perhaps, if Socrates would of comply with the accusers and stop his teachings instead of saying that he was doing nothing wrong and that he was only speaking the truth, then maybe, and only maybe then, he might of have a chance to change his destiny and not being sentenced to death. However, Socrates decided to keep explaining to the jury how he is just trying to expose and teach the truth to the people of Athena. So, according to the jury, “Socrates…acts un-justly in corrupting the youth, and in not believing in those gods in whom the city believes, but in other strange divinities” (pg. 36). Therefore, he was found guilty and sentenced to death.

Week 2: 
The main reason why there is a conflict between science and religion is due to outdated ideas and misunderstanding about who we are and what makes us humans. Religion tries to define the unknown and give meaning to what can’t be understood. On the other hand, science tries to unravel the same complexities through a series of procedures and experiments. One gives the unknown power and divinity, while the other seeks to unravel the very essence of the unknown.  The two schools of thought are destined to battle one another. Science tries to understand the self and the world around us by using math, logic and experimentation. While religion tries to explain the world through time tested traditions and practices. In The Great Mystery, it reads the following: "unlike the notion that we are beings of light, the idea that we are just the body gives us a deep sense of entrapment." For many, just the thought of having someone question the beliefs and ideas passed down from one generation to another can be very upsetting. The film, Mysterium Tremendum: If Wonder Has a Form, What is the Matter?, mentions that when people are asked about how they feel about the idea that we are just a body or material it seems like it is a bit depressing to think about the human being as something so insignificant rather than a great being of light. This is what I believe to be the main reason for disagreement between science and religion. Beyond the scientific facts about the human body, there is an unknown factor that is present at all times. This unknown factor is the question about what happens to our soul after we die. Because there is never a solid answer to this question, the conflict itself between science and religion is just a matter of interpretation.

Week 4

1. Why is the theory of evolution so important in understanding how human beings behave? 

The theory of evolution is very important in understanding how human beings behave because the theory gives us a starting point to where we come from.  In the book Darwin 101, the section “The DNA of consciousness” reads the following: “…evolution is such a powerful idea. It explains so much so simply” (169).  This section of the reading focuses on explaining how, through evolution, different series of DNA mutations have taken place and, thus, making us the way we are now. As part of our natural curiosity, knowing where we come from, and why we act the way we do is very important because it helps us have a sense of identity. This, I believe, is the main reason why the theory of evolution is so important in understanding how human beings behave.

2. Which questions do you think evolutionary theory cannot answer? 

There are many questions that evolutionary theory cannot answer, among these, is the one about why out of so many different species there is only one intelligent kind. According to the film “Evolution Explained in Four Minutes”, each person is unique genome with roughly 25,000 genes each with billions of lines of codes we call DNA.  According to the theory of Evolution, natural selection is defined as the traits and characteristics that are passed down through many generations because of how helpful these features are in the environment in which these species live in. These traits or characteristics are what Darwin, in his theory of evolution, defined to be the essential part of survival of the fittest. With that in mind, it is very hard to believe that out of so many combinations of DNA sequences and so many traits and characteristics only human beings have being able or capable of developing an intelligence superior to any other species on Earth. What makes the human being so special that it was able to develop this unique characteristic and able to advance in the line of existence as such an intelligent being, to me that is very hard to understand.

Week 5 and 6:

1. Explain the virtual simulation theory of consciousness. 

According the film Brain Burn: Consciousness as a Virtual Simulator, our consciousness acts as a virtual simulator that plays different scenarios so that we can use them to our advantage. However, we currently live in a virtual world created by software programmers and we never pause to reflect about any of this. In the film Surfing the User Interface: The Illusion of Virtual Worlds, it says the following: “The user interface is, to invoke Plato’s Allegory, our cave, and we don’t even know we are prisoners to the systems which unwittingly constrain our movements in a pre-designed template.” The reason why we live in a virtual world is because of the many social media websites and programs that exist now a day. These programmed softwares are now a necessity for many. Our consciousness, through imagination, acts as a virtual simulator about the world. Just like in the Allegory of the Cave, we have to be able to break through reality and realize that many of this programmed software is a product of our imagination and do not represent the real world.

2. How does the brain trick us and for what benefit is it for our genetic survival?

According the film Brain Burn: Consciousness as a Virtual Simulator, “Consciousness is a virtual simulator… those without consciousness… when they do play out a choice they do so in a real world… in such real world if it doesn’t work you are eaten. In imagination, in consciousness, you can play as if it is real and project all sorts of in game earnings to see which one could be to your advantage.” What this means is that our brain takes advantage of the use of consciousness as a virtual simulator to be able to play out multiple scenarios before we decide on what decision to take in any given situation. The use of consciousness as a virtual simulator allows us to make the best decisions based on the “what if” of any scenario that has been thought of and imagined by our conscience. By doing this, we can benefit for our genetic survival because we can eliminate the decision that can take us to death and, thus, survive.

Week 7

1. Do you think artificial intelligence will be a significant problem in the future? 

For many years we have heard about artificial intelligence taking over the world and ending the humankind. There have been many movies and books about what could be considered a significant problem for us in the future. According to Ray Kurzweil in the film The Coming Singularity, “information technology grows exponentially.” What Kurzweil was trying to say was that this exponential grow will lead to machine’s intelligence overpowering the human intelligence and eventually taking over the world that we live in. This exponential grow is what Kurzweil refers to as technological singularity. I believe that artificial intelligence is a significant problem for us in the future. Actually, I believe it is already a problem in today’s society. Although we have benefited from technology in the past by allowing us to be able to overcome diseases and many other challenges in life, technology has also cause harm. One example that I can think of when talking about technology being harmful is that nowadays children are so involved in technology that they are not allowed to think as critically as before. For instance, I once saw an post on Instagram that mentioned how a mother was showing a printed picture to her 3 year old daughter and suddenly the child tried to “zoom in” in the picture by putting her index finger and thumb in the center of the photo and expanding it. By using technology so much at such short age, children are not able to think as much about how things in the real world work and function. Another example could be that many people have already lost their jobs because technology has replaced their duties in the work place.

2. How has technology impacted your life? 

Technology has had a great impact in my life. When I read this question I immediately began to question my life since technology began to be a part of my everyday life. I honestly find it hard to remember what I used to do when I would have free time before technology was part of my life. I cannot remember what my hobbies were or what I would do to entertain myself. Now, whenever I have free time I check my social media or simply watch YouTube videos all day long. In a way, this reality check depresses me a bit because I have allowed technology to take over my life so much. Although I have found its benefits by now having access to information at my fingertips compared to before having to go the library and searching for hours for something that I needed for a project, technology has had both a positive and negative impact on my life.

Week 8:

1. Why is Faqir Chand's experiences important in understanding the projective nature of religious visions and miracles? 
Faqir Chand’s experiences are important in understanding the projective nature of religious visions and miracles because they provide evidence that the virtual simulator exists. In the film Faqir Chand: Inner Visions and Running Trains (The Enchanted Land Film Series), it is mention how Faqir Chand came to a realization during a military battle in which he noticed that people were ignorant about the real cause of these so cal  miracles and visions. According to the film, Faqir Chand: Inner Visions and Running Trains, gurus gain power, attention and devotion from their disciples who incorrectly impute omniscience and omnipresence upon such teachers even though they posses none of those characteristics. It is also mentioned that he tells the soldiers and generals about what way to go or what to do because he had a vision. In the end, he realized that these visions are produced by the mind. These visions are illusions that make people believe things are real which further supports the virtual simulator of consciousness.

2. What is meant by the phrase, "philosophy done well is science; philosophy done poorly remains philosophy."  
The phrase “philosophy done well is science; philosophy done poorly remains philosophy”  means that just like in science, when an idea is presented one does investigations that can lead to results that support the idea or theory being presented. In philosophy, the same process takes place because philosophy’s aim is to explain claims and ideas with factual evidence. However, when these ideas or claims cannot be tested or there is no evidence to support them, they remain as ideas. This is what the second portion of the phrase “philosophy done well is science; philosophy done poorly remains philosophy” is trying to say. Just like in science, when an hypothesis cannot be supported with factual claims, then it is just an idea. In philosophy, these claims that philosophers try to explain or discuss, when there is no evidence to support them, then it is just an idea.

4.    Have you done all of the required reading? Be specific. Yes, I have done all of the required reading after the midterm. I have not read every single word of the readings but I have skimmed enough so that I can grasp the core ideas of each reading.

5.    Have you watched all of the required films? Be specific. Yes, I have watched all of the required films after the midterm. I have been able to watch all the videos completely and have not skipped throughout the video.

6.    What is the theme behind the Disneyland of Consciousness? The theme behind the Disneyland of Consciousness is that there is a virtual simulator that exists and sometimes we are not aware of it. In the film, Disneyland of Consciousness, the example that was given was of a woman that was visiting Disneyland and believed that an animatronic at the Disneyland Park was an actual living individual. When this lady found out about the truth, she was puzzled and could not believe it. The main theme behind this example was the idea that our brain can be tricked in to believing some things are real. This is known as the consciousness as a virtual simulator.

7.    Is Consciousness physical? Explain your answer (pro or con). Be sure to substantiate your argument. I believe that the consciousness is not physical because it is not an actual function of the brain. For instance, when we walk there is nerves and different chemicals that are sending signals to those muscles that are active when we walk and that is something physical where as consciousness is not a tangible physical thing because it cannot be truly detected in the same way that a function of the brain, like walking, is detected when these different chemicals send signals to the synapses of the brain.

8.    Do you believe we are living in a computer simulation? Be sure to research your answer before detailing your response. There are many theories about us being a product of a computer simulation. I believe that this claim may be actually true because of the Mandela effect. The Mandela effect is when there is a glitch in the matrix and the things, and memories from an alternate universe cross with ours and these memories remain in our universe. For example, the famous quote from the movie Snow White, where the queen talks to the mirror. There are two ways that the famous quote from this scene is remembered. The first one is: “Mirror, mirror on the wall.” The second one is “Magic mirror on the wall.” The reason why I believe we may be living in a computer simulation is because I find it hard to believe that not one, but thousands of people remember this quote differently. This “glitch in the matrix” to me, is more like a glitch in the programmed universe we live in.

9.    What is Issac Asimov’s theory of self-reflective awareness (hint: it is in the film, The Sandcastle of awareness). The film Sandcastle of Awareness, describes the “informational theory”. In the film, Issac Assimov compares the self to a sand castle in which the grains of sand that compose the sandcastle cannot be reduced to just one bit since the totality of those bits is what makes all the difference. In the same way, the idea of the selfhood is a result of a vast network of intersecting bits of matter that all together makes a difference.

10.    Why does Patricia Churchland favor a “neural” theory of pain versus a “soul” theory of it? Patricia Churchland favors a “neural”l theory of pain versus a “soul” theory because there is not enough evidence about how it works. The neural theory explains how our body reacts to pain, in the example provided by Churchland, an individual can feel pain when he is injecting substances to the body. However, the soul is not something that we can feel or see. Therefore, I believe this is the main reason why Churchland favored the neural theory instead of the soul theory.

11.    Note: the following is an extra credit question: What flaws did the author find in Jeffrey Kripal’s paranormal arguments? Hint: it is in the chapter Understanding the Improbable in the required text DIGITAL PHILOSOPHY.

12.    Why is the book dead? Do you agree or disagree with the film? Technology has revolutionized the way we do things now, and reading is one of the main things that has changed throughout time. For instance, if we want to read a book or a novel, we can use technology to gain access to these readings through Kindle or any other e-reading format.

13. Why is Faqir Chand’s life and work so important in understanding the illusory nature of religious visions? Be sure to give two examples from his life and work to back up your answer.

In “The Unknowing Sage” Faqir Chand discussces his experiences and how he came to a realization about the nature of religious visions. These experiences are important because it provides an insight to his life and how he became an important figure. He believed all religious leaders were “ignorant about the real cause of miracles and the visions attributed with them.” In the film Faqir Chand: Inner Visions and Running Trains, it is mentioned how in multiple occasions he was able to save the soldiers in battle by telling them that he had a vision and gave them directions to follow based on these visions. However, he discovered the secret to these inner visions and miracles. The “secret” is within our own investigations and experiences. So, he was able to guide them based on his own critical thinking rather than an actual vision.

14. What is the remainder conjecture? The remainder conjecture is to accept anecdotes and claims that given enough careful study and time do not pass critical scrutiny. This is what Paul Kurz called “the transcendental temptation”, in which we accept the spiritual interpretations and explanations for mysterious phenomena without actually thinking if it makes sense or not. According to the film The Remainder Conjecture: Driving Science to the Brink of an epistemological Cul de Sac, if we are not skeptical enough we can be easily fooled and confuse a magician’s trick as a miracle.

15. What is Calvino’s metaphor and how should it humble us about making absolute statements in philosophy? In the film The Infinite Shuffle: Calvino’s Metaphor and the Scientific Quest, Calvino’s metaphor is about a card game which reflects the nature of scientific progress. What Calvino’s metaphor is trying to explain is that we can never be too sure of the universe’s message until the end. This metaphor should make us think differently about the statements and claims that exist in philosophy because we cannot consider claims or theories as a final word about things until the end of time. This is like the example of Socrates’ statement about one being happy, one cannot considered happy until they are dead because you can think you have been living a happy life so far but thinks can change in the end, right before we die.

16. Why is understanding neuroscience vitally important in understanding human consciousness? Understanding neuroscience is important in understanding human consciousness because it can help prove if human consciousness is physical or not. There are many who believe that human consciousness is physical and many others who disapprove. Neuroscience studies the structure or function of the nervous system and brain. With the use of neuroscience, one can possibly be able to identify how consciousness works, if it is a function or not a function of the brain and many other things. Therefore, for these reasons, neuroscience is essential in understanding human consciousness.

17. Based on the three-part film, give a 250 summation of the “history” of philosophy. Be sure to mention who was your favorite philosopher and why.

The history of western philosophy covers a large amount of thinkers who had to go through many things to change or revolutionized the world as we know it. Many of these philosophers were not able to have closure about their theories because many of their ideas shut down since they were controversial for the people at that time. Socrates is a great example of this, as he was killed for practicing his philosophy and teachings. What I really liked about the film is that it covers not just the philosophers’ ideas but it goes over how other factors influences their theories and claims. For many of these philosophers religion was one of them but for Pythagoras, for example, mathematics was the main influence in his life. The main thing that the film point out was that these philosophers are the foundation to the many things we have knowledge of now a days. I believe that without theses philosopher our view about the world and the knowledge that we currently posses would not be even close to how it is now.  In the film, some of the philosophers mentioned were not names that we associate with philosophy, for example, Thomas Hobbes and John Locke. These names are associated with the history of how our social contract came to be in order for our society to function well, however, we do not think of these individuals as philosophers even though they are. This is one of the main things I liked about the film, but also about taking a course of philosophy. My understanding of what philosophy truly is has expanded.

18. In the book the Circle of the Wise which philosopher did you find most agreeable? Why? Which philosopher did you find most disagreeable? Hint: which philosopher did you find yourself aligning with? Or disagreeing with?

In the book The Circle of the Wise, the philosopher that I find most agreeable is Paul Churchland from U.C. San Diego. The reason why I find myself aligning more with him is because he mentions that he is very inclined to science and bases his answers of many topics in scientific research rather than, for example, religion. In the book it reads “I am a scientifically inclined philosopher […] I think many philosophical questions would ultimately get [their] answers from the developments that science gives us” (pg. 1). The philosopher that I found most disagreeable is Griesemer from U.C. Davis. The reason why I find myself disagreeing with him is because he thinks that the scientific theories and explanations are products of social construction based on observable data. In the book it reads the following: “I don’t believe in theoretical entities (like genes, species, atoms), but not because I don’t think they exist. Rather, I don’t think science requires that we believe in them in order to do science” (pg. 2). This suggests that science is based mostly on opinions or claims lacking factual data, to me this is ridiculous because if we wish to do research on something we must believe in it in order to try to research if it is actually true or not rather than blindly doing research without a reason of why we are doing research.

19. Compare and contrast three philosophers and their respective answers in the book Circle of the Wise.

When comparing the philosophers Griesemer, Paul Churchland and Matson, some similarities can be found. The main similarity in these philosophers is that they all believe in scientific investigations to support claims and give explanations for these claims or ideas. When contrasting the philosophers Griesemer, Paul Churchland and Matson, some differences can be found. The main difference in these philosophers is that none of them have the same reason of why they believe in scientific investigations. Griesemer believes that scientific theories are products of social construction based on observable data. Paul Churchland believes that investigating things in a scientific way is more of a philosophical tradition. Finally, Matson believes that the roles of both experience and intellectual insight are what support scientific investigation.

20. What was your favorite film this semester? My favorite film this semester was the Consciousness as a Virtual Simulator because I find the topic very interesting and very similar to something that I already believe is true, the Mandela Effect.

21. What was your favorite reading this semester? My favorite reading this semester was The Great Mystery because it explained really well the reason behind the conflict between science and religion. As a person that inclines more with science, this reading was very fun and interesting to go over.

22. If you have done extra credit, please list it here and write a 100 word analysis of each extra credit assignment.

23. Any questions/comments?

Good Luck!

— Share It —

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Google+
• Linkedin
• Pin It

About the Author

Hi, my name is Maria. I am a student of a philosophy class in college. This is my first time taking a philosophy class, and I am very excited about what this class has to offer. I will be posting topics and writing assignments related to my class in here, so feel free to comment my posts and offer feedback about my blog's content.