Topic 7.4 & 7.5: The Age of Progress
7.4 HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENTS: -Charles Darwin provided a scientific and material account of biological change and the development of human beings as a species, and inadvertently, a justification for racialist theories that became known as Social Darwinism. 7.5 HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENTS -Positivism, or the philosophy that science alone provides knowledge, emphasized the rational and scientific analysis of nature and human affairs. -In the later 19th century, a new relativism in values and the loss of confidence in the objectivity of knowledge led to modernism in intellectual and cultural life. -Philosophy largely moved from rational interpretations of nature and human society to an emphasis on irrationality and impulse, a view that contributed to the belief that conflict and struggle led to progress. -Freudian Psychology offered a new account of human nature that emphasized the role of the irrational and the struggle between the conscious and subconscious. -Developments in the natural sciences undermined the primacy of Newtonian physics as an objective description of nature.
Question 1
Which of the following was a direct challenge to the literal interpretation of the Book of Genesis as proposed by Charles Darwin?
The divine right of kings
A common human ancestry with primates
The Great Chain of Being
The Geocentric model of the universe
Question 2
Herbert Spencer's application of evolutionary principles to human society led to the development of which concept?
Social Darwinism
Utopian Socialism
Existentialism
Classical Liberalism
Question 3
What term did Herbert Spencer coin that became synonymous with Social Darwinism?
"Liberty, Equality, Fraternity"
"The Iron Law of Oligarchy"
"The Invisible Hand"
"Survival of the Fittest"
Question 4
Which of the following ideologies did Social Darwinism NOT directly contribute to?
Racist ideologies
Marxism
Eugenics
Imperialist ideologies
Question 5
What was the primary focus of Freudian Psychology?
The development of the super-ego through social interaction
The struggle between the conscious and subconscious
The importance of the nuclear family
The role of the environment in shaping behavior
Question 6
Which of the following best describes Positivism?
The idea that history is determined by class struggles
The philosophy that science alone provides knowledge
The theory that economics is the foundation of all social structures
The belief in the inevitability of social progress
Question 7
Who is most associated with the philosophy of Positivism?
David Hume
John Locke
Karl Marx
Auguste Comte
Question 8
Which of the following figures is NOT associated with the rise of irrationalism in the late 19th century?
Friedrich Nietzsche
René Descartes
Henri Bergson
Georges Sorel
Question 9
What did Max Planck's Quantum Theory challenge?
The primacy of Newtonian physics
The heliocentric model of the solar system
Darwin's Theory of Evolution
The laws of thermodynamics
Question 10
Which work by Charles Darwin suggested that human beings developed over time through a process of natural selection?
The Interpretation of Dreams
The Descent of Man
Thus Spoke Zarathustra
On the Origin of Species (1859)
Question 11
Which of the following was NOT a belief held by proponents of Social Darwinism?
The justification of forced sterilization
The application of eugenics to eliminate 'undesirables'
The superiority of Anglo-Saxon or Aryan peoples
The necessity of a welfare state to support the 'unfit'
Question 12
Which term encapsulates the late 19th-century shift from a belief in the objectivity of knowledge to a new relativism in values?
Feudalism
Rationalism
Classicism
Modernism
Question 13
What was the primary influence on Darwin's concept of Natural Selection?
Isaac Newton's laws of motion
Thomas Malthus' ideas on population dynamics
Gregor Mendel's laws of inheritance
Louis Pasteur's germ theory of disease
Question 14
Which of the following best characterizes the philosophical stance of Materialism?
The material world is an illusion
Ethical principles are the foundation of all knowledge
Everything, including the human mind and consciousness, is matter
Human progress is determined by spiritual evolution
Question 15
Which of the following is NOT a key aspect of Modernism?
Acceptance of social change
Embracing industrialization
Valuing scientific progress
The adherence to traditional belief systems
Question 16
What did Friedrich Nietzsche's philosophy challenge?
The foundations of traditional morality and religion
The principles of democratic governance
The validity of empirical science
The effectiveness of capitalist economies
Question 17
What did Sigmund Freud use to delve into the human psyche?
Techniques like dream analysis, talk therapy, and hypnosis
Mathematical models of human behavior
Physiological experiments on brain function
Anthropological studies of primitive societies
Question 18
Which of the following was NOT a consequence of the developments in the natural sciences in the late 19th century?
The undermining of Newtonian physics
The questioning of the objectivity of knowledge
The emergence of Quantum Mechanics
The reinforcement of the geocentric model
Question 19
Which of the following best describes the impact of Henri Bergson's philosophy?
It emphasized change, evolution, and the significance of immediate experience and intuition over rationalism
It reinforced the primacy of the Catholic Church in moral guidance
It advocated for the return to a feudal social structure
It promoted the idea of a static universe unchanging over time
Question 20
Which of the following works by Charles Darwin provided evidence for human evolution and common ancestry with other species?
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions
The Wealth of Nations
The Social Contract
The Descent of Man
Question 21
What did Georges Sorel's advocacy for Syndicalism emphasize as the means to achieve social change?
The establishment of a centralized planned economy
Revolutionary action and the overthrow of traditional institutions
The moral improvement of individuals through education
Peaceful democratic reforms
Question 22
What aspect of human nature did Sigmund Freud's 'The Interpretation of Dreams' (1899) explore?
The impact of socialization on individual behavior
The significance of dreams in understanding the unconscious mind
The role of genetics in personality development
The importance of conscious thought in decision-making
Question 23
Which of the following is a principle associated with Auguste Comte's Positivism?
The rejection of empirical observation in favor of metaphysical speculation
The application of scientific methods to the social as well as the natural world
The emphasis on the moral superiority of the aristocracy
The belief in the inevitability of the collapse of capitalism
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