HW3

The critical rationalist approach to faith allows that one can have direct knowledge of a god or gods. What would be the most likely typical response of a critical rationalist if a person said to him/her, "A powerful being who is the Mistress of the Universe revealed to me the secrets to a happy life after we die"?

• There is no way for us to prove if this Mistress of the Universe exists or not.
• I cannot ask you for proof of your direct knowledge of this Mistress of the Universe because looking for evidence or reason is not faith at all.
• That is impossible. There are no gods or goddesses.
• The people who will have this trust and belief on this Mistress of the Universe will base their faith in the direct knowledge that you have of this being.

According to our source material, these are the two levels that reason can work on.

• The conscious and unconscious
• Sensation and feeling
• Traditional Islam and Christian faith
• Religion and sprituality

The lecture specifically states that "Reason can operate at both conscious & unconscious levels" and discusses how reasoning happens both consciously and unconsciously, including through dreams.

It is a ranking of things that exist. On this ranking, humans are above every other thing that is found on earth.

• Stairway to Heaven
• Periodic Table
• Realm of Becoming
• Chain of Beings

The lecture describes "The Chain of Being hierarchy" with God at top, then Angels, Demons, Man, Animals, Plants, and Minerals at bottom.

It is the perspective or belief that women are inferior.

• Feminism
• Sexism
• Faith
• Moral indignation

The lecture discusses how "Women have often been seen mainly as child-bearers and considered less capable" as part of sexist stereotypes.

"We can never really come to a conclusion whether a god exists or not. It is unknowable." This statement typifies:

• Fideism
• Religious Rationalism
• Atheism
• Agnosticism

The lecture defines an agnostic as "A person who believes that the existence of God is ultimately unknowable."

It is the belief and trust in a religious deity.

• Indignation
• Spirituality
• Atheism
• Faith

The lecture defines faith as "Belief & trust in a religious deity."

Aenys correctly sees what others are feeling and responds to these feelings with the best words or actions. Aenys has a high degree of:

• Faith and religion
• Barrier to critical thinking
• Emotional intelligence
• Unconscious processing of reason

The lecture defines emotional intelligence as "The ability to perceive accurately, appraise and express emotion."

According to the video on AI and personhood, the Turing test when used to assess if a machine has a very strong artificial intelligence is ultimately based on the machine's:

• Emotional complexity
• Quicker-than-human processing
• Options by its algorithm
• Human-like Behavior

While not explicitly in these notes, the Turing test is fundamentally about whether a machine can exhibit intelligent behavior indistinguishable from human behavior.

In the video about AI and personhood, most people who argue that even machines with the most human-like intelligence cannot be considered humans because they are programmed. Supporters of the idea that machines can be human because they counter-argue that:

• Machines may have petrol or any form of energy resource running across its systems
• Machines can be designed to have the looks of humans even to the pore level
• Humans are the highest form of beings on earth according to the Chain of Beings
• Humans are programmed right down to their DNA and to the instructions they get from family and society

This represents the philosophical argument that humans are also "programmed" by genetics and socialization.

According to our lesson, this is the basis of reason.

• Proof
• Motive
• Values
• Emotion

The lecture states "Reason is the way we support a belief or conclusion using evidence."

A: The Western perspective focuses on reasoning and analysis in critical thinking. 
B: The Japanese and some other Asian and African perspectives recognize the role of emotion in critical thinking.

• A and B are both true.
• Only B is true.
• Only A is true.
• A and B are both not true.

The lecture shows that Western approaches can include emotion (citing various cultural perspectives) and that the dichotomy isn't as clear-cut as the statements suggest.

A: Studies have shown that having a religion is needed so that people will do moral acts or be kind to others.
B: Spiritualism requires the belief of at least a god or supreme being.

• A and B are both true.
• Only A is true.
• Only B is true.
• A and B are both not true.

The lecture states "Studies have found that religious people are not more likely to act with moral courage or kindness than non-religious people" and defines spirituality as not
necessarily requiring belief in a personal God.

"Look at how marvelous nature is in making sure that all life continues on this earth. This superb and complex creation can only come from a powerful being." This statement typifies:

• Spirituality
• Atheism
• Religious Rationalism
• Agnosticism

The lecture defines religious rationalism as using "the (natural world) as a premise to the conclusion that God exists."

It is the ability to go inside other people's experience and comprehend the experience of other people:

• Faith
• Sprituality
• Empathy
• Personhood

The lecture discusses empathy as "Understanding how others feel" and its positive role in critical thinking.

As defined by the source material, care, fairness, determination come from this way of thinking that believes in deep respect for oneself and others.

• Fideism
• Fundamentalism
• Cognition
• Spirituality

The lecture defines spirituality as "a personal sense of respect for what is sacred—in yourself, in others, and in life" and links it to compassion and justice.

Read the passage and choose the best answer.

• A) Reasoning only happens when we are awake and are thinking about it.
• B) Dreams in our sleep are not involved in reasoning
• A and B are true.
• A and B are not true.
• Only B is true.
• Only A is true.

Read the text below and choose the best answer.

• A) We must ignore our emotions to be good at critical thinking.
• B) Japanese critical-thinking teachers do not think that the emotional part of critical thinking is necessary.
• A and B are not true.
• Only B is true.
• A and B are true.
• Only A is true.

According to critical rationalists, the Biblical story of Abraham and Isaac was a story of:

• Abraham testing his God if he was a moral god
• Abraham blindly following an immoral order
• Abraham sending electric shock to Issac
• Abraham and Isaac role-playing as guards and prisoners

The lecture states "Critical rationalists interpret the story of Abraham & Isaac as a conflict between blind obedience & the moral law."

"The goddess of the forest spoke to me and said we should each plant 50 trees every month." How would an atheist respond to this statement?

• Whether the goddess said those words cannot be known since we really do not know if the goddess is real or not.
• If I search for some evidence of these instructions, then it means I do not have faith. Let's plant those trees.
• The deity that spoke to you teaches caring for every living being in the forest. It makes sense that you would believe to get that kind of instructions.
• That order is impossible. There are no deities, gods, or goddesses.

The lecture defines an atheist as "A person who does not believe in the existence of God" - they would reject the premise entirely.

These are machines that mimic only some aspect of human intelligence.

• Strong AI
• Touring tests
• Weak AI
• Algorithms

This is the standard definition distinguishing weak AI (narrow, specific tasks) from strong AI (general intelligence).