paper required in 8 hours

PHILOSOPHY TRIPOS Part IA

Answer three questions only.

1. EITHER (a) ‘The cause of an event is the thing that made the difference to whether it happened or not.’ What does this mean? Is it true?

OR (b) Are we in a position to tell causes from coincidences?

1. Is there any reason to think that the sun will rise tomorrow?

1. Critically evaluate the claim that if the mind can have effects in the physical world, it must itself be something physical.

1. Why does it matter whether we can know what it is like to be a bat?

1. Should any intervening psychological disturbances make future pain a matter of present indifference?

1. Is personal identity any more of a problem than the identity of ships?

1. If a newspaper reports that my number has won the lottery, I believe it. Should I be equally trusting if it reports that a miracle has occurred?

1. The ontological argument seems to prove too much; but where does it go wrong?

1. Does science tell us that there is no such thing as free will? Could it?

1. Is there a consistent libertarian position on free will? Can it make sense of moral responsibility?