Big Questions A Short Introduction to

Philosophy 9th Edition Solomon Test

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Chapter Seven: Freedom

TRUE/FALSE

1. When Immanuel Kant said that “Ought implies can,” he meant that without freedom there could be no
morality.
A. True
B. False

ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: p. 224

4. Freedom is always a good thing for those who have it.

A. True
B. False

ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: pp. 224-226

2. In Dostoevsky’s story of the Grand Inquisitor in The Brothers Karamazov, after Jesus returns to earth,
he is arrested by the Grand Inquisitor because he offered people the path of freedom.
A. True
B. False

ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: p. 227

3. According to the African Yoruba philosophy, prior to being born, people know what sort of “ori” or
soul they will have, and hence whether they will have good or bad luck in their lives.
A. True
B. False

ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: pp. 228, box

5. A libertarian, Jim assumes freedom is exclusively negative freedom from interference by government
agencies and other people. This leads to the absurd conclusion that the person who is most free is the
person out in the middle of the desert, safely out of range of interference from the government and
other people.
A. True
B. False

ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: p. 231

6. If we assume the self is a social entity that depends on others for its existence, then what will count as
freedom will necessarily involve our relationships with others.
A. True
B. False

ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: p. 232

7. A good example of rational freedom is the freedom to express your emotions.

A. True
B. False

ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: p. 233

 8. Capricious freedom is the opposite of rational freedom.
A. True
B. False

ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: p. 234

9. The notion that there is a cause for every event is inconsistent seems to imply the belief that a truly
free action is one that is wholly undetermined by anything but the pure self.
A. True
B. False

ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: p. 234

10. To have chosen A means that one could have chosen B.

A. True
B. False

ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: p. 236

11. The strongest version of determinism implies that “Every event has its sufficient natural explanatory
cause(s).”
A. True
B. False

ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: p. 237

12. David Hume accepted the basic rule of determinism, the principle of universal causation, but argued
that our belief in it was a matter of custom.
A. True
B. False

ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: p. 243

13. Indeterminism implies that while all events have causes, choices and actions are not really events in
the world.
A.True
B. False

ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: pp. 237-240

25. An indeterminist view of free actions is similar to the concept of capricious freedom.
A. True
B. False

ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: p. 234, 237-240

14. The French Newtonian philosopher Pierre-Simon de Laplace argued that determinism must be false, as
it’s impossible to predict the future.
A. True
B. False

ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: p. 239

15. Even if indeterminists are right in claiming that it is impossible to predict what a subatomic particle in
our bodies might do, this does not imply that it is impossible to predict what our bodies will do.
A. True
B. False

ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: p. 240

16. Both determinists and compatibilists agree that consciousness can intrude on the physical order of
causes and effects, without being part of that order.
A. True
B. False.

ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: p. 241

17. Soft determinists agree with determinists that if we knew everything, we could predict a person’s
actions with certainty (or at least, a very high probability).
A. True
B. False

ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: p. 243

18. Aristotle rejected soft determinism although he embraced the idea of free action.
A. True
B. False

ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: p. 243

19. Someone who believes in soft determinism also believes that human beings are not responsible for
their actions.
A. True
B. False

ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: pp. 243-244

23. Kant’s position on freedom is really a form of compatibilism.

A. True
B. False

ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: p. 241, 244-245

20. According to Kant, when we act we have to think of ourselves as acting freely.
A. True
B. False

ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: p. 245

21. Jean-Paul Sartre rejects Kant’s notion that we must view our actions as free.
A. True
B. False

ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: p. 246

24. According to Sartre, there are extreme circumstances, such as war, where your freedom is eliminated
or totally absent.
 A. True
B. False

ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: pp. 246-247

22. After Eric talks to a psychiatrist, he understands that his panic attacks are the result of an imbalance of
neurochemicals in his brain. According to Kant, when Eric does this he is assuming a practical stance
on himself.
A. True
B. False

ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: p. 246-248

MULTIPLE CHOICE

1. “The only liberty which can be a real thing [is] the liberty of the State and of the individual within the
State” was stated by
a. Karl Marx. c. Benito Mussolini
b. Patrick Henry. d. John Locke.
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: p. 225, box

2. According to Frithjof Bergmann our culture

a. has a deterministic view of freedom. c. has a single view of freedom.
b. does not really believe in freedom. d. has a schizophrenic view of freedom.
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: p. 226

3. Jean-Paul Sartre and the psychiatrist Erich Fromm both argue that
a. until we can prove the existence of free c. we all try to “escape from freedom”
will, we will not be truly free. because we find it too painful.
b. freedom’s just another word for nothing d. we all try to escape from the fact that we
left to lose. are not free.
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: p. 227

4. In the history of the United States, the emergence of freedom of personal choice has
a. threatened and sometimes destroyed the c. nearly always resulted in a lessening of
peaceful harmony of conformist social conflict.
communities.
b. nearly always resulted in benefits for all. d. never been achieved.
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: p. 228

5. In focusing exclusively on negative freedom, we can easily

a. become emotionally negative. c. lose our religious faith.
b. lose sight of what we want that freedom d. achieve happiness.
for.
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: p. 232

6. When Rousseau argued that people should be forced to be free (by being made to “obey the general
will” of the people), he was endorsing
 a. negative freedom. c. the freedom from constraints.
b. positive freedom. d. the end of real freedom.
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: p. 231-232, box

7. People who conceive of the self as an isolated individual self, will typically view freedom as
a. freedom from other people and society. c. positive freedom.
b. freedom for some specific end. d. illusory and unattainable.
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: p. 232

8. Rational freedom implies

a. being able to do what you want when you c. only negative freedom.
want it.
b. attaining happiness. d. carefully planned and thoroughly thought
out actions.
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: p. 233

9. If having a choice means to be able to do either A or B, then determinism seems to imply

a. there is no real choice. c. positive freedom.
b. freedom of choice is an achievement. d. negative freedom.
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: p. 236

10. If a man holds a gun to my head and forces me to give him my wallet, then
a. I am not free. c. I am only negatively free.
b. I have no choice. d. I have nonetheless freely chosen not to
fight and be shot.
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: p. 236

11. In the statement “Every event has its sufficient natural explanatory cause(s),” the word “sufficient”
indicates that the cause is
a. incapable of bringing the event about by c. necessary for the event to occur.
itself.
b. capable of bringing the event about by d. indeterminant.
itself.
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: p. 237

12. One reason the determinist’s claim that every event has a sufficient explanation seems hard to disagree
with is that
a. it implies that negative freedom is c. it appears to be a basic presupposition of
possible. knowledge.
b. it implies that positive freedom is d. it was embraced by Plato.
possible.
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: p. 238

13. For philosophers who define determinism as implying only predictability on the basis of probability, to
say that every event is determined means only that
a. it is not predictable even when we know c. past causal conditions cannot be known.
about earlier conditions.
b. it is predictable if we know d. the future is entirely unpredictable.
enough about earlier conditions.
 ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: p. 238

14. One implication of the Heisenberg Principle of Uncertainty is that

a. it is impossible to predict what the future c. determinism is true.
is on a sub-atomic level.
b. it is possible to predict the future, but only d. causation is a fiction.
assuming human beings have an
immaterial soul.
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: p. 239

15. If indeterminism is true, and there are uncaused actions, then those actions
a. must be accomplished by something c. are truly free.
resembling Descartes thinking substance.
b. fulfill the requirements for positive d. are not truly free, as freedom requires our
freedom. choices to effectively cause our actions.
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: p. 240

16. Assume that determinism is true about your body’s movements. Assume also that your consciousness,
unlike your body, is not part of the scheme of determinism, and so is free to make decisions, free to
choose what to do. If these assumptions are true, then it follows that
a. only rational freedom is possible. c. your consciousness can have an effect on
the body’s movements or actions.
b. your consciousness cannot have an effect d. determinism is true even of your
on the body’s movements and actions. consciousness.
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: p. 241

17. Soft determinists believe that

a. determinism is false. c. freedom and determinism are compatible.
b. determinism has many therapeutic d. freedom and determinism are
remedies that can help us cope with incompatible.
difficult times.
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: p. 241, box

18. If soft determinism is true, then

a. we can continue to hold people c. we must accept the fact that we have no
responsible for their actions, even if their control over our actions.
actions are determined.
b. we cannot continue to hold people d. we must accept the fact that we are unable
responsible for their actions because their to act freely.
actions are determined.
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: pp. 242-243

19. Aristotle argued that an act could be free only if it was both free from “external compulsion” and
a. divinely mandated. c. performed for morally acceptable reasons.
b. not determined by past actions. d. free of ignorance (where the actor didn’t
know what he or she was doing)
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: p. 243

20. David Hume, who was a soft determinist, believed that we could say that an act was free
 a. so long as indeterminism was true. c. so long as its past causes were not
sufficient to produce it.
b. if it followed from a person’s “character.” d. the person performing it was not morally
blameworthy.
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: p. 243

21. Kant argued that whether we are free depends on our standpoint, and that we can adopt two different
standpoints toward the world:
a. a theoretical standpoint where freedom is c. a theoretical standpoint and a practical
possible, and a practical one, where one, both making freedom impossible.
freedom is impossible.
b. a theoretical standpoint where freedom is d. a monistic standpoint or pluralistic
impossible, and a practical one, where standpoint, both making freedom possible.
freedom is possible.
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: p. 245

22. Suppose someone offers Anne a cigarette after she has decided to give up smoking. According to
Kant, Anne
a. must think of her choice in a deterministic c. must make a decision whether to accept it
way. or not.
b. must try to predict her own behavior. d. cannot freely choose.
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: p. 244-246

23. Existentialists agree with Kant in asserting that

a. determinism is false. c. even if determinism is false, we must take
the tragic view of ourselves as necessarily
unfree.
b. soft determinism is false. d. even if determinism is true, we must
always view ourselves as agents as
necessarily free.
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: p. 246

24. The statement we are “condemned to be free” was made by

a. John Stuart Mill. c. Jean-Paul Sartre.
b. Immanuel Kant. d. David Hume.
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: p. 247

25. When Sartre said that “We were never more free than during the German occupation” he meant that
a. the occupied people confronted the fact of c. soft determinism is true.
their freedom and the need to make a
commitment.
b. the occupied people were able to escape d. soft determinism is false.
from their everyday concerns and
relationships.
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: p. 247

SHORT ANSWER

1. What is the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic freedom?

 ANS:
Intrinsic freedom is our natural free will, and extrinsic freedom is the freedom for which we must
fight.

PTS: 1 REF: p. 226

2. What is the difference between negative freedom and positive freedom?

ANS:
Negative freedom = freedom from some condition or set of conditions; while positive freedom =
acting to achieve some specific end.

PTS: 1 REF: p. 230

3. What is the difference between rational and emotional freedom?

ANS:
Rational freedom is freedom that arises as the result of carefully planned and thoroughly thought out
actions; emotional freedom is the freedom to express whatever emotion you want to express.

PTS: 1 REF: pp. 233

4. Why do determinists believe that no choices are free?

ANS:
Determinists hold that if a choice is free then it can’t be explained by causes; but all choices can be
explained by causes.

PTS: 1 REF: p. 237

5. What is indeterminism?

ANS:
Indeterminism is the explicit rejection of determinism, the view that not every event has a cause, and
thus determinism is false.

PTS: 1 REF: p. 238

6. What is the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle?

ANS:
The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle says that if we know the position of a particle we won’t be able
to determine its motion, and vice versa. Therefore, we cannot predict its future states.

PTS: 1 REF: p. 239, box

7. What is compatibilism?

ANS:
Determinism is true, but this does not mean that we are not free and responsible for our actions.

PTS: 1 REF: p. 231, box

 8. Briefly explain Aristotle’s two conditions for a free action.

ANS:
For Aristotle, an act would be called free if it was not performed (a) from “external compulsion” (the
actor was pushed or forced) or (b) out of ignorance (the actor didn’t know what he or she was doing).

PTS: 1 REF: p. 243

9. What does Kant mean when he says freedom is a postulate of practical reason?

ANS:
Kant means that practical reason is our ability to live as moral agents, so freedom is a basic
presupposition of living morally—we can’t think of our ourselves as moral without also assuming we
are free.

PTS: 1 REF: p. 245

10. What does Jean-Paul Sartre mean when he says we are “condemned to be free?”

ANS:
Whatever our circumstances we are required to choose. We can of course refuse to make decisions,
acting as if they were made for us. But even in these cases, we are making decisions, “choosing not to
choose.”

PTS: 1 REF: p. 247

ESSAY

1. What is freedom? Why is it important? Is it an absolute or conditional value? In what sense is freedom
necessary (or not necessary) for a good life? Your essay should clarify the meaning of freedom,
distinguishing among the following kinds of freedom (intrinsic, extrinsic, positive, negative, rational,
emotional, capricious) while clarifying what circumstances these forms of freedom are desirable or
undesirable.

ANS:
This is largely an expository essay aimed at helping students grasp the authors’ argument that freedom
means different things, and has a conditional and not unconditional value. The last question requires
taking a personal stand.

PTS: 1 REF: pp. 224-235

2. Suppose for a minute that true freedom is positive freedom. Write an essay discussing the ingredients
in, and conditions for, positive freedom. You’ll want to distinguish positive freedom from negative
freedom, and to address the following questions: What are the factors that limit and “open up” positive
free choice? Are there particular kinds of ends that must be pursued and that when absent limit your
freedom? What conditions have to be in place, in your life, for you to be positively free? Are there
some ways of choosing goals (and means toward goals) that are more or less sustainable and livable?
Give examples illustrating both choices that are more positively free and choices that are less
positively free.

ANS:
 Students should reflect on what positive freedom means, and this will require thinking about both the
kinds of ends that are worth seeking, the conditions for the pursuit of these ends, and whether some
ways of pursuing ends are more sustainable than others.

PTS: 1 REF: pp. 230-235

3. Write an essay on the problem of free will and determinism. Your essay should clarify what the
problem is, and discuss various solutions to the problem: determinism (including the argument for
determinism); indeterminism, compatibilism and soft determinism (both forms); and both Kant and
Sartre’s views on freedom. Focus on the strength and weaknesses of each approach regarding how
well they each address moral responsibility. Do you favor one approach over others, and why?

ANS:
Students should be able to explain basic concepts in the debate over free will developed in the second
half of chapter seven.

PTS: 1 REF: pp. 235-246

4. It’s clear that the concepts of moral responsibility and freedom are linked. Consider the following four
cases:

A. Dave was having an affair with Todd’s wife Ethel and wanted her husband out of the way. After
weeks of planning and stalking Todd, Dave shot and killed him as Todd left the gym.

B. One night in a bar, Dave had way too much to drink. He got into a vicious argument with Todd,
who was also drunk and verbally abusive. In a state of alcoholic rage, Dave went to his car, got a gun,
and came back to shoot Todd.

C. Dave, a combat veteran, was suffering severe conditions of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder).
Waking up from a blackout, he hallucinated that he was on the battlefield and that Todd was the
enemy. Thinking he was acting in self-defense, he shot and killed Todd.

D. Dave is kidnapped by terrorists and told that unless he cooperates with them in attacking and
possibly killing innocent civilians, his family will be killed.

Now write an essay in which you imagine you are on a jury charged with assessing Dave's guilt or
innocence in each case, where guilt implies being morally and legally responsible. Applying Aristotle's
two criteria for free actions, how would you assess Dave's guilt or innocence in each case, and why? If
more information is needed, what is that information and would its provision help you decide the case?
Can you think of any other cases that serve as interesting test applications of Aristotle's framework?
What general conclusions can you draw about the relationship between freedom and moral
responsibility?

ANS:
Students should be able to apply Aristotle’s criteria, reasoning through a variety of cases that test the
limits of our concepts of responsible action and free choice.

PTS: 1 REF: p. 243

5. Write a fictional, argumentative dialogue between two or more characters debating the meaning of
freedom and the problem of freedom and determinism. Your characters should each take stands and
defend them with clearly stated reasons. They can respectfully disagree with one another, and should
try to address each other’s criticisms. Be especially aware of the assumptions that each character
makes when s/he takes a stand. Your dialogue can conclude with agreement, agreeing to disagree, or
some sort of new synthesis of preliminary positions. Dialogues should include discussion of the
meaning and importance or value of freedom, and on some aspects of the debate over freedom and
determinism. They should bring out your perceptions of what’s at stake in this issue. You can draw on
materials from chapter seven, but you are not limited to these.

ANS:
This is an argumentative writing assignment. Students have a lot of creative latitude but are expected
to construct (or reconstruct) the dialectic over the nature of freedom and the problem of free will,
attending especially to assumptions that shape commitments.

PTS: 1 REF: throughout Chapter Seven

6. Write an argumentative essay defending or criticizing determinism. Your essay should address the
argument for determinism, and why (or why not) it is defensible. If you defend determinism, you’ll
need also to address indeterminist and soft determinist counterarguments. Conversely, if you defend
either indeterminism or soft determinism, you’ll need to consider how a determinist is likely to
respond. You can use materials from chapter seven, but are not limited to these.

ANS:
This is an argumentative type essay.

PTS: 1 REF: pp. 235-243