Skip to ContentGo to accessibility page
OpenStax Logo
Introduction to Philosophy

Review Questions

Introduction to PhilosophyReview Questions

Review Questions

6.1 Substance

1 .
Why does Thales believe that water is the most basic reality?
2 .
The Pre-Socratics were wrong in their various metaphysical explanations. Yet they are considered to have contributed significantly to the history of philosophy and metaphysics. How could they have contributed if they were wrong?
3 .
What inspired Kanad and his atomistic understanding of reality?
4 .
What does the Sun represent within Plato’s Allegory of the Cave?
5 .
How does Aristotle connect the acorn and the oak? What do they share?

6.2 Self and Identity

6 .
Why does the “Ship of Theseus” present a problem for identity?
7 .
What does the term “Anatman” mean? What are the implications for the self?
8 .
What is the so-called “mind-body problem”?
9 .
What is the so-called “hard problem of consciousness?”
10 .
After reading Locke’s “The Prince and the Pauper” thought experiment, do you agree that two have switched identities? Why or why not?

6.3 Cosmology and the Existence of God

11 .
The moral arguments for the existence of God rest upon the reality of objective values. Can a shared human interest preserve a sense of objective good (without needing a reference to a God)?
12 .
What does Anselm think is the difference between what exists in the mind and what exists in reality? And why does he think the idea of "that than which no greater can be conceived" must exist in reality?
13 .
In Aquinas’ arguments offered in this section, motion was not movement from one place to another but rather movement from potentiality to actuality, i.e, becoming. Using the acorn and the oak, describe what happens as a being moves from becoming to actuality within Aquinas’s metaphysics. What role does purpose play in motion? What role does God play?
14 .
Why is the existence of suffering a problem for those who posit a God?

6.4 Free Will

15 .
What is determinism?
16 .
What is the difference between hard and soft determinism?
17 .
What is libertarianism?
18 .
Is determinism compatible with moral culpability? Why or why not?
19 .
Who was Jean Paul Sartre and what was his position concerning the free will problem?
PreviousNext
Order a print copy
Citation/Attribution
Reuse and redistribution of this content in digital or print format:
  • This book may not be used in the training of large language models or otherwise be ingested into large language models or generative AI offerings without OpenStax's prior written permission.
  • This book uses the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License, which means that you can reuse and modify the material only for noncommercial purposes, must attribute OpenStax, and must distribute any derivative works under the same license.
  • Any commercial printing of this textbook, including using a local or custom printer, must be approved by OpenStax, and proper citation provided.
  • OpenStax-copyrighted images, activities, assessments, and similar components of this book are subject to the same licensing – CC-BY-NC-SA. They can be used for noncommercial purposes with attribution. Commercial use requires permission.
  • Permission requests: Anyone who intends to incorporate this content (including text, images, and other components) into large language models, use it in AI offerings, use it commercially (including in print), and/or has questions about another use case is welcome to complete our reuse request form.
Attribution information
  • If you are redistributing all or part of this book in a noncommercial print format, then you must include on every physical page the following attribution:

    Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/introduction-philosophy/pages/1-introduction

  • If you are redistributing all or part of this book in a noncommercial digital format, then for every page that includes OpenStax content, you must license the derivative work under the same CC-BY-NC-SA license as the original, and include on every digital page view the following attribution:

    Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/introduction-philosophy/pages/1-introduction

Citation information

The information below includes the information needed to generate citations in most major styles (APA, MLA, etc.); you must reformat and organize the information as needed to fit the requirements of the style. Use the information below to generate a citation. We recommend using a citation tool such as this one.

© Apr 23, 2026 OpenStax. Textbook content produced by OpenStax is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License. The OpenStax name, OpenStax logo, OpenStax book covers, OpenStax CNX name, and OpenStax CNX logo, and Rice University name, and Rice University logo trademarks, or wordmarks are not subject to the Creative Commons license and may not be reproduced without the prior and express written consent of Rice University.