Which of the following BEST captures the difference between Hobbes’ Law of nature and St. Thomas Aquinas’ Natural law?
1. According to atomismA) nothing is created out of nothing, nor can something be reduced to nothing.B) compounds of atoms are eternal because the atoms that comprise them are eternal.C) some things are created out of nothing, and some things can be reduced to nothing.D) nothing is created out of nothing, and everything can be reduced to nothing.
2. Death, according to Epicurus,A) is either a dreamless sleep or a journey to another world.B) is deprivation of sensation.C) is a journey to another worldD) remains a mystery to us.
3. If the fundamental claims of atomism are true, thenA) the cosmos is devoid of incorporeal beings.B) the only truly divine things are the eternal, indestructible atoms.C) there is no afterlife.D) All of the above.
4. If “the impious man is not he who denies the gods of the many, but he who attaches tothe gods the beliefs of the many,” thenA) believers in personal immortality and divine providence are impious.B) believers in atomism are impious, and believers in personal immortality are pious.C) believers in atomism are pious.D) Both A and C
5. According to Epicurus, the human soulA) is made up of atomsB) cannot survive the death of the bodyC) is the organ of sensationD) All of the above.
6. According to Epicurus,A) One ought to pursue wealth, as it can afford us greater comfort and pleasureB) Not all pleasures are to be chosenC) The happy life requires that one pursue only the vain desiresD) No one knows whether death may not be the greatest of evils
7. Which of the following BEST describes the logical connection(s) between atomismand hedonism in Epicurus’ thought? Read each answer option very carefully!A) Atomism denies the existence of incorporeal beings, such as immortal souls. If thehuman soul—the organ of perception and thought—is made up of atoms which disperseback into nature at life’s end, then death would be nothing more than a dreamless, eternalsleep and not a journey into another, potentially wretched, world. The Epicurean,knowing this, thereby achieves a reassuring calmness of mind, a tranquility of soul.B) According to atomism, the universe is made up exclusively of atoms and void, andthere are immortal gods which are highly complex compounds of atoms. These godsdirect the course of human events, and reward individuals who avoid overindulgence insensual pleasures, and punish with infirmity and disease those who do not.C) According to atomism, the universe is made up exclusively of atoms and void, havingbeen created this way by the gods. In order to live a good and happy life, the humanbeing must practice moderation and self-restraint with regard to the bodily pleasures, andconcentrate all of his energies on “knowing the truth about god.” Only when heunderstands that mankind was designed to live according to the universal moral lawestablished by his Maker can he enjoy the tranquility of soul which constitutes the veryhighest kind of pleasure.D) According to atomism, the universe is made up exclusively of atoms and void, andthe human being is thus nothing more than a body. A good life is a life lived inaccordance with nature. Epicurus says “every pleasure because of its natural kinship to usis good, yet not every pleasure is to be chosen.” The very BEST life will be one dedicatedexclusively to the proper maintenance of the body, through healthy lifestyle choices.
8. A man brutally murders an innocent victim. According to Epicurus, in what way wouldthis act rightly be considered “evil”?A) Such an act is a direct violation of the divine commandment: “Thou shalt not kill.”B) Such an act is a direct violation of the victim’s unalienable right to life.C) The criminal is doing irreparable harm to his own soul.D) Such an act is evil insofar as it engenders a fear in the mind of the criminal ofeventually being caught and punished severely by the civil authorities.
9. Which of the following arguments against vulgar hedonism does Epicurus NOT make?A) Even though every pain is an evil, not all pains are to be avoided.B) Vulgar hedonism undermines traditional morality.C) The pains consequent upon over-indulgence either cancel the pleasures or leave abalance of pain.D) The vulgar hedonist fails to discriminate properly among the various desires and thedifferent pleasures that come from their satisfaction.
10. Each of the following is, according to Epicurus, an essential ingredient to living wellEXCEPT:A) FriendshipB) EquanimityC) HealthD) Wealth
11. For Epicurus, the good life consists ina. the delight one takes in a spirited game of chess.b. Enjoying good food and drink.c. Freedom from pain and mental anxiety.d. experiencing a “runner’s high.”51. Each of the following is an essential feature of law EXCEPT:a. It must be rational.b. It must be made known.c. It aims at the good of certain individuals only.d. It must be made by whoever has care of the community.2. Law is more concerned with protecting property rights than with making human beingsgood.T/F3. Each of the following is a type of law discussed by St. Thomas in our readingEXCEPT:a. divine lawb. eternal lawc. human lawd. none of the above
4. If a law is not promulgated, thena. It is not a legitimate law.b. Everyone has a duty to search for and discover it.c. It is binding only on those who are able to discover it.d. None of the above.
5. A law whose effect is to diminish the common good would, according to St. Thomas,bea. Legitimate, so long as it’s made by him who has care of the community.b. An ordinance of reason.c. Legitimate, so long as it’s promulgated.d. Tyrannical.
6. Which of the following statements about the eternal law is correct?a. It is God’s rule over the cosmosb. It is identical with God’s essence, and as such cannot be known in itself.c. It is identical with Divine Reasond. All of the above
7. Divine law is necessary becausea. Of the restricted scope of the human law.b. Of man’s inability to judge other men’s motives and intent.c. Man’s ultimate end is not discoverable by human reason.d. All of the above.
8. Each of the following statements is consistent with St. Thomas’ natural law theoryEXCEPT:a. The good is that which is consistent with man’s nature.b. All lifestyles are natural.c. The purpose of law is to make men good.d. That which runs contrary to man’s nature is “evil”.9. Each of the following is a natural human inclination enumerated by Thomas AquinasEXCEPT:a. To know the truth about Godb. To procreatec. To live in societyd. None of the above.
10. According to Thomas Aquinas’ concept of Natural Law, all of the following would bedeemed immoral EXCEPT:a. Suicideb. Homosexualityc. Willful ignoranced. None of the above
11. According to St. Thomas’ Natural Law teaching,i. God is the author of the natural lawii. human laws are always grounded in the natural lawiii. Nobody can have any understanding of the natural law if they lack access to the Bibleand its teachingsiv. morality is inseparable from human naturev. Man’s natural inclinations in one society may be completely different in anothersocietyvi. killing innocents is wrong only because in the Bible God said “Thou Shalt Not Kill.”vii. Philosophy (the love of wisdom) is natural, and hence good.a. i, ii, iii.b. i, v, vi.c. i, iv, vii.d. iii, vi, vii.
12. Human lawa. Is man-made.b. Is the application of natural lawc. Is valid only if it aims at the common goodd. All of the above
13. Nature is to convention asi. what is mutable is to what is immutableii. what is immutable is to what is mutableiii. biology is to fashioniv. divine law is to natural lawv. natural law is to man-made lawa. i, ii, iv.b. ii, iv.c. i, ii, v.d. ii, iii, v.Chapter 6
1. According to Hobbes, which two needs drive human action?a. Personal gain and love of othersb. Personal gain and survivalc. Love of others and survivald. Love of others and desire for peace
2. Why, according to Hobbes, do human beings enter into a commonwealth?a. Self-preservationb. Commodious livingc. Stabilityd. All of the above
3. According to Hobbes’ Leviathan, human life without government would be characterizedby each of the following EXCEPT:a. no agricultureb. no technologyc. no clocksd. all of the above
4. “But though the benefits of this life may be much furthered bymutual help; since yet those may be better attained to by dominion,than by the society of others, I hope no body will doubt, but that menwould much more greedily be carried by nature, if all fear wereremoved, to obtain dominion, than to gain society.”What is Hobbes’ main argument in this passage?a. Most people would prefer to achieve comfortable self-preservationthrough entering into collaborative associationsb. The life of a tyrant is preferable to that of a mere citizenc. The life of a citizen is preferable to that of a greedy tyrantd. Without law and order, life is “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish andshort.”
5. “Drive safely: the life you save may be your own.”This would be an example of:a. Psychological realismb. Christ’s Golden Rulec. Hobbes’ Golden Ruled. A and B
6. According to Hobbes, government censorship is necessarya. because some opinions might incite people to rebellionb. In order to promote concordc. Because peace, stability, and security are more important than “freespeech” rightsd. All of the above
7. In Hobbes, “good” and “evil” refer to:a. Pleasure and painb. Virtue and vicec. The object of love, the object of aversiond. A and C
8. Each of the following is a characteristic of the state of nature EXCEPT:a. It is a war of every man against every manb. Life is solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and shortc. There are abundant resources available for human consumptiond. There are no property rights9. For Hobbes, the greatest good and the greatest evil, respectively, for a human beingare:a. Glory and disgraceb. Comfortable self-preservation and violent deathc. Salvation of one’s soul and eternal damnationd. Virtue and vice
10. Hobbes’ statement, “In the state of nature, profit is the measure of right” signifies thata. Nature rewards energy and aggressionb. Upright moral character is what gets you aheadc. Hobbes believes in karmad. Good intentions always prevail over immoral deeds
11. St. Thomas Aquinas and Thomas Hobbes would agree on which of the following?a. Commodious living is the highest object of human aspirationb. Man is by nature a political animalc. Do unto others as you would have others do unto youd. None of the above
12. Each of the following is true about Hobbes’ social contract theory EXCEPT:a. It is the most viable means of escaping the horrors of the state of natureb. It stipulates that one must be willing to sacrifice one’s life on behalf of thecommonwealthc. It forbids private men the freedom to be the judge of good and evil actions.d. It exists for the sake of preventing men from harming one another and being harmedby one another
13. Which of the following BEST captures the difference between Hobbes’ Law of natureand St. Thomas Aquinas’ Natural law?a. The former induces you to treat others as you would want to be treated, whereas thelatter induces you not to treat others as you would not want to be treatedb. The former seeks the good of the body only, whereas the latter seeks the good of bothbody and soulc. The former promotes charity and self-sacrifice, whereas the latter promotes hedonismd. The former sees justice ultimately as the product of divine legislation, whereas thelatter sees justice strictly as a product of human legislation