FREE! Click here to Join FunTrivia. Thousands of games, quizzes, and lots more!
Quiz about SOPHISTication
Quiz about SOPHISTication

SOPHISTication Trivia Quiz


Throughout history, the philosopher has been both reviled and celebrated, rejected and cherished. In an homage to the love/hate relationship we have with our "lovers of wisdom," here is my very small contribution to a few of those big thinkers.

A multiple-choice quiz by bassman68. Estimated time: 4 mins.
  1. Home
  2. »
  3. Quizzes
  4. »
  5. Humanities Trivia
  6. »
  7. Philosophy

Author
bassman68
Time
4 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
248,277
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
7 / 10
Plays
4060
Awards
Top 10% Quiz
Question 1 of 10
1. Rene Descartes was very concerned with the ontological aspects of philosophy. He believed that one had to first start with the proof of one's own existence before one could proceed to answer any other question about the nature of one's own being. To this end, perhaps his most famous quote was conceived: "Cogito ergo sum." What is the English translation of this Latin phrase? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. Plato's "Allegory of the Cave" tries to impart to the reader the extreme hardship that the philosopher faces in dealing with ignorance, even when that ignorance is his own. Which of Plato's essays contains the "Allegory of the Cave"? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. Which philosopher is credited with saying, "The unexamined life is not worth living"? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. What was the common name given to educational institutions in the ancient Greek city-states during the time of Plato and Aristotle? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is attributed with one of the greatest short works of political philosophy. In this work, he says that when a government engages in immoral action to create immoral laws then it is the duty of moral citizens to rebel, peacefully, against those laws. What is the title of that work? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. The word philosophy literally means, "love of wisdom".


Question 7 of 10
7. In "The Republic," who did Plato say must rule the city? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. What great philosopher was the student of Plato? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. What philosopher said, in reference to quantum physics, "God does not play dice with the universe"? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. What very famous philosopher is famous despite the fact that he has no extant writings whatsoever? Hint



(Optional) Create a Free FunTrivia ID to save the points you are about to earn:

arrow Select a User ID:
arrow Choose a Password:
arrow Your Email:




Most Recent Scores
Mar 28 2024 : robbonz: 9/10
Mar 03 2024 : PurpleComet: 7/10

Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Rene Descartes was very concerned with the ontological aspects of philosophy. He believed that one had to first start with the proof of one's own existence before one could proceed to answer any other question about the nature of one's own being. To this end, perhaps his most famous quote was conceived: "Cogito ergo sum." What is the English translation of this Latin phrase?

Answer: I think, therefore I am.

Rene Descartes wrote the phrase "Cogito ergo sum (I think, therefore, I am)" in his essay "Meditations on First Philosophy." In it, he postulated that we cannot readily know which is the "real" world, and which is the world of dreams. He postulated that he could even be dreaming as he wrote his treatment of the subject, and only THINK he was awake.

However, he said, whether he was dreaming or awake, the very fact that he was able to think about his problem at all made one thing absolutely certain: he did exist.
2. Plato's "Allegory of the Cave" tries to impart to the reader the extreme hardship that the philosopher faces in dealing with ignorance, even when that ignorance is his own. Which of Plato's essays contains the "Allegory of the Cave"?

Answer: The Republic

"The Republic" is one of Plato's most famous works (if not THE most famous). In it, he sets about explaining how the perfect city should be structured. He sets forth his belief that everyone is born to be that which his nature compels him to be, even the slave, and that the perfect city can only prosper when everyone within it is engaged in those innately ordained functions.
3. Which philosopher is credited with saying, "The unexamined life is not worth living"?

Answer: Socrates

Hope this one didn't catch anyone on a "technicality." Although Plato's essays were written by him, himself, and therefore it COULD be said that he said the things in them, Plato himself attributed this saying, as he did almost all others of any great import, to his teacher, Socrates.
4. What was the common name given to educational institutions in the ancient Greek city-states during the time of Plato and Aristotle?

Answer: gymnasium

Today, a gymnasium is used almost exclusively for physical activities. The ancient Greeks believed that you could not have a sound mind without a sound body, or vice versa. The schools of the day were used for both academics and athletics, with equal emphasis placed on both, and were called gymnasiums.
5. The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is attributed with one of the greatest short works of political philosophy. In this work, he says that when a government engages in immoral action to create immoral laws then it is the duty of moral citizens to rebel, peacefully, against those laws. What is the title of that work?

Answer: Letter from a Birmingham Jail

The "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" was written, interestingly enough, to the black clergy of Birmingham as Dr. King sat in a jail cell. Its purpose was to quiet the accusations by the clergy that Dr. King was an outsider stirring up trouble in Birmingham.
6. The word philosophy literally means, "love of wisdom".

Answer: True

The word "philosophy" comes from two Greek words: philein(to love)and sophia(wisdom). We can see these Greek roots in other familiar words, such as: SOPHIsticated, which means wise or savvy; and, Philadelphia which means "place of brotherly love (aldelphi is also a Greek word, meaning "brother").
7. In "The Republic," who did Plato say must rule the city?

Answer: philosophers

Plato thought that the only way that a city could be efficiently run, and managed to the good of all within its boundaries, was for the philosopher to become king.
8. What great philosopher was the student of Plato?

Answer: Aristotle

Socrates taught Plato, and Plato taught Aristotle. Plato established a school where he taught known as the Academy and, later, Aristotle went on to establish his own school, the Lyceum.
9. What philosopher said, in reference to quantum physics, "God does not play dice with the universe"?

Answer: Albert Einstein

We think of Albert Einstein as a scientist, which, without the slightest doubt, he was. But Albert Einstein often stepped outside the realm of science and into the realm of philosophy when he postulated sayings such as the one above. Any and all of us can be, and indeed are, from time to time, philosophers.
10. What very famous philosopher is famous despite the fact that he has no extant writings whatsoever?

Answer: Socrates

Socrates was put to death on trumped-up charges that he misled the youth of Athens. Virtually everything we know of his philosophy comes from the writings of his pupil and protege, Plato, including Socrates' refusal to be aided in escaping his jailers and go into exile.

In the "Crito," Plato relates how Socrates believed that since he had taught all of his life that the state was all-sovereign, he could not now, when that sovereignty required of him his death, disregard his own teaching. He believed, the "Crito" relates, that he should not go into a foreign land to escape his fate, and if he did, that such a life would not be worth living.
Source: Author bassman68

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor agony before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.
3/29/2024, Copyright 2024 FunTrivia, Inc. - Report an Error / Contact Us