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Test - 2

Time:3hrs MM:250

• There are EIGHT questions divided in two Sections.

• Candidate has to attempt FIVE questions in all.
• Question No.1 and 5 are compulsory and out of the remaining, THREE are to be
attempted choosing at least ONE from each section.

Sec-A

Q.1Write short answers to the following in about 150 words each :- 50

a) Dual Aspect Monism

• Spinoza
• It is the view that the mental and the physical are two aspects of, or perspectives of the same
substance.
• Substance – attributes : cogitation and extension
• Theory of parallelism
• Neutral monism

b) Explain the meaning and significance of “Hume's fork”

• Hume's separation between Matters of Fact and Relations of Ideas is often referred to as "Hume's
fork."
• According to him, relations of ideas can be proved with certainty, however, they don't really
mean anything about the world. Since they don't mean anything about the world, relations of
ideas cannot be used to prove matters of fact. Because of this, matters of fact have no certainty
and therefore cannot be used to prove anything.
• Hume's fork makes it pointless to try to prove the existence of God as a matter of fact.
• Kant’s response : analytic and synthetic distinction ; possibility of SAJ

c) Kant’s criticism of the proofs for the existence of God

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• Metaphysics as a science is not possible ; transcendental illusions

• Critic of ontological, cosmological and teleological arguments

d) Berkeley’s concept of Notions and its significance

• With this theory Berkeley attempts to explain self and other self, God and structure of the
universe
• See booklet
• Berkeley explains that we learn about our own minds by means of inward reflection, and that the
existence of God's mind is evinced by the mechanisms of nature that we observe around us.
However, we can't perceive minds like we do other objects. Later Berkeley introduces the term
'notion' and suggests that while we can't gain perceptual knowledge of minds we can at least
possess notional knowledge of their existence.
• Berkeley suggested that we do not just have notions of ourselves but also of other minds,
including God, and of relations between things. We arrive at our notions of ourselves by “inward
feeling or reflection,” at our notions of other minds by reasoning, and at our notions by,
presumably, intuition.
• Berkeley’s doctrine of notions raises some problems. If we can have notions of spirits, why can’t
we have notions of matter? Can notions exist apart from being perceived? If they can, why can’t
ideas?

e) How does Hegel responds to Kant’s transcendentalism ?

• Explain Kant’s transcendental Idealism

• Kant’s Noumena : unknown and unknowable
• Hegel’s Absolute Idealism

Q.2
a) “Transcendentalism maintains a golden mean between exaggerated scepticism and
excessive claims of knowledge.” Critically examine the statement. 20

• Kant’s philosophy comes in the backdrop of debate between rationalism and empiricism
• critic of rationalism : overemphasised on reason, ends in dogmatism, makes castles in the air,
while of philosophy is based on ideas, lacking newness in the knowledge
• critic empiricism : ends in scepticism and dogmatism , lacking certainty in knowledge
• kantian solution : synthesis in 2 ways :
- SAJ
- Formation of knowledge
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b) Descartes builds a God centered system which was followed by Leibnitz and Berkeley. 15

• Descartes : Substance ; Idea of an all perfect being - cogito; veracity of God : external world
• Leibnitz : God : highest monad; teleological explanation; PEH : explains relation between
windowless monads
• Berkeley : refutation of materialism and establishment of theism ; esse est percipi

c) Critically examine the justification for the distinction between primary and secondary
qualities as given by Locke. 15

• Locke’s theory of perception

• Define primary and secondary qualities with examples
• Difference between primary & secondary qualities and their ideas
• Critic by Berkeley ; esse est percipi

Q.3
a) In philosophy there has been major issue of reconciling problem of Being and
Becoming. How does different philosophers respond to this issue ? 20

• Problem of change and no change ; existence and essence

• Plato
• Aristotle
• Spinoza
• Leibnitz
• Hegel : presents critic of earlier philosophers ; advocates dialectical method and absolute
idealism; concrete reality
• Existentialism

b) Examine the functions of 3 Ideas of Reason 15

• Explain reason and 3 ideas ; performs regulatory functions ; unifies and regulates understanding
itself
• Transcendental illusions
• functions
• Hume
• Hegel

c) What do you mean Hegel’s Dialectical Method and how does it improves upon
mathematical method ? 15
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• Define DM
• Principle of negation and contradiction
• Critic of Geometrical /mathematical method
• Absolute idealism ; concrete reality
• Characteristics of DM

Q.4

a) Are Kantian Space & Time subjective or objective ? Critically examine their significance
also. 20

• Define S & T
• They are subjective forms of sensibility but since they are in same way for all they are truly
objective ; synthesis of Newtonian and Leibnitz conception
• Their role in knowledge
• Metaphysical and transcendental exposition

b) Types of knowledge according to Locke 15

• 3 types
• Intuitive, Demonstrative and Sensitive
• Representation theory

c) Berkeley’s immaterialism and Kant’s response to it 15

• Explain Esse est percipi and it’s implications: subjective idealism

• Kant’s response : Transcendental Idealism
• Hegel : Absolute Idealism

Sec-B

Q.5Write short answers to the following in about 150 words each :- 50

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a) What is the extraordinary cause of Anumana pramana ?

• Paramarsha as a psychological ground

• Logical ground being Vapti
• Explain Paramarsha with example – Panchavayavas
• Critic by Carvaka

b) How does Samkhya school justifies the word Samkhya in their philosophy ?

• Samkhya has two meanings :

- Number
- Perfect knowledge
• It’s a philosophy of 25 principles
• Liberation by discriminative knowledge

c) Sampatti in Yoga school

• Samadhi, another term is Sampatti

• 7 stages
• Chittavrittinirodha ; briefly bondage and liberation

d) Classification of Inference based on the vyapti

• Define Inference
• Classification
- Keval anvaya
- Keval vyatireki
- Anvaya vyatireki
• Briefly other classification
• Critic

e) Asiddha Hetvabhasa

• Type of hetvabhasa , unproved hetu

• Define hetvabhasa
• Types
- Ashrayasiddha
- Svarupasiddha
- Vyaptvassidha
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Q.6
a) Discuss fully Pratyaksha as a pramana in Nyaya school. 20
• Define , conditions, process : mana acting as a mediator between self and senses
• Stages
• Types
• Jyestha Pramana
• Comparative study with Kant

b) Why Samkhya believes that various arguments could not prove the existence in God ? 15

• Samkhya schools arguments against God : see booklet

• They explain whole course of world due to interplay of Prakriti and Purusa

c) Purusvisesa 15

• Special Purusa : God in Yoga school

• Brief description
• Proofs
• Critic

Q.7
a) “Anumana is a cognition which presupposes another cognition”. Critically examine the
statement. 20

• Define Anumana, Padas

• Grounds :
- Vyapti – logical ground
- Paramarsha – psychological ground – extraordinary cause of anumana
• Classification
• Critic by Carvaka

b) Critically examine the concept of liberation according to Samkhya. 15

• Purusa : Nityamukta
• Ignorance – Phenomenal ego / Sopadhika Purusa – trapped in bondage , subject to 3 different
types of pain
• Liberation : Naistraiyagunya ; discriminative knowledge
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• Critic

c) Discuss Nyaya theology. How it is different from Yoga school’s theology ? 15

• God according to Nyaya : efficient cause, sadaisvarya, eternal consciousness is inseparable

attribute , moral governor
• Proofs
• Yoga : Special Purusa – description and proofs
• How Nyaya conception is better over Yoga school, yet Nyaya theology is subject to criticism :
not material cause, eternal bondage

Q.8
a) How do you differentiate between Klista and aklista vrittis ? Why Yoga stands for
cessation of vrittis ? 20

• Define Vrittis
• Klista : activities of bondage soul ; chittavrittis
• Aklista : vrittis of Jivanmukta
• Bondage : vicious cycle of klesa – chittavrittis – action and reaction – klesas
• Yoga is a spiritual effort for the perfection of soul, ultimate aim is the kaivalya through
discriminative knowledge
• Chittavrittisnirodha : samadhi

b) Panchavayavas 15

• Define anumana
• Swartha and Parartha Anumana
• 5 logical statements : Prtijna, hetu , udharan , upanaya and nigmana
• Application of vyapti and paramarsha

c) How do Samkhya and Nyaya school differ in terms of their theory of creation ? 15

• Different schools different interpretation based on their theory of causation

• Samkhya : Prakritiparinamvada – satkryavada
• Nyaya : Parmanukaranvada - asatkaryavada