Innate Ideas and Arguments from Leibniz

According to Leibniz, how can the human mind gain knowledge of the world?

• Through the senses alone

• Through reason alone

• Through a combination of senses and reason

• Through innate ideas

Why does Leibniz argue that the senses cannot establish the universal necessity of a general truth?

• Because the senses can only reveal individual instances

• Because the senses are unreliable

• Because the senses are limited to sensory experiences

• Because the senses cannot comprehend abstract concepts

Which of the following examples does Leibniz use to illustrate that the senses cannot establish the necessity of a general truth?

• Seeing the sun rise and set

• Seeing a stone fall towards the earth

• Seeing a right angle triangle

• Seeing two apples and three pears

How does Leibniz compare the mind to a block of marble?

• The mind contains fully formed ideas like a statue in the marble

• The mind is shaped by external experiences like a chisel on marble

• The mind is smooth like a block of marble

• The mind is hard and unchangeable like marble

What does Leibniz argue is necessary for the mind to gain ideas and truths?

• Innate principles

• Experience of the senses

• Education and learning

• Reflection and introspection

According to Leibniz, which of the following concepts are not derived from the senses?

• Unity and duration

• Change and action

• Pleasure and pain

• Identity and self-awareness

Which philosopher has argued for the existence of innate organizing principles in language learning?

• Plato

• Descartes

• Locke

• Chomsky

What does Chomsky argue about the innate capacity to learn language?

• It is derived from sensory experiences

• It is a result of innate ideas

• It is a combination of reason and senses

• It requires exposure to other language speakers