René Descartes - 2025 ACF Fall

Question

Jonathan Vogel argued that “inference to the best explanation” avoids this philosopher’s brand of skepticism. For 10 points each:

[10m] Name this philosopher who analogized his “method of doubt” to throwing out the rotten apples from a basket. This philosopher refuted skepticism by arguing that God would never let him be deceived by an all-powerful demon.

ANSWER: René Descartes

[10e] Descartes argued that even if an evil demon is deceiving him, that would prove he exists, leading him to claim “I [do this action], therefore I am.”

ANSWER: thinking [accept “I think, therefore I am” or “Je pense, donc je suis” or “Cogito, ergo sum”]

[10h] This English philosopher refuted skepticism by saying “here is one hand, and here is another” in his article “A Defense of Common Sense.” This philosopher argued that “good” cannot be defined in terms of other properties.

ANSWER: G. E. Moore [or George Edward Moore]

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Summary


Northern California	Main	Y	4	15.00	100%	50%	0%
Southern California	Main	Y	7	18.57	100%	71%	14%
Eastern Canada (1)	Main	Y	5	14.00	100%	40%	0%
Florida	Main	Y	4	15.00	100%	25%	25%
Great Lakes	Main	Y	10	20.00	100%	80%	20%
Lower Mid-Atlantic	Main	Y	9	13.33	100%	22%	11%
Upper Mid-Atlantic	Main	Y	9	12.22	100%	22%	0%
North	Main	Y	4	17.50	100%	75%	0%
Northeast	Main	Y	12	14.17	100%	42%	0%
Pacific	Main	Y	8	15.00	100%	38%	13%
South Central	Main	Y	6	15.00	100%	50%	0%
Southeast	Main	Y	12	14.17	100%	33%	8%
UK (North)	UK	Y	5	20.00	100%	60%	40%
Upstate NY	Main	Y	5	12.00	100%	20%	0%

Data


Berkeley Boss Bandit	Berkeley Little Prince	0	10	0	10
Berkeley Mighty Miner	Berkeley Skeleton King	10	10	0	20
Claremont B	UCSD B	0	10	0	10
UCSD A	UC Irvine	10	10	0	20
UC Santa Barbara	Claremont C	10	10	0	20
UCLA A	UCLA C	10	10	0	20
Claremont A	UCLA E	10	10	10	30
UCLA F	USC B	0	10	0	10
UCLA D	USC A	10	10	0	20
Berkeley Archer Queen	UCSC	0	10	0	10
Carleton B	Carleton A	0	10	0	10
Ottawa D	McGill A	0	10	0	10
McGill C	Ottawa A	10	10	0	20
McGill B	Ottawa B	10	10	0	20
Ottawa C	McGill E	0	10	0	10
Florida A	UCF A	10	10	10	30
Florida B	South Florida A	0	10	0	10
Florida Tech A	Florida State A	0	10	0	10
Florida Tech B	ERAU Daytona A	0	10	0	10
Stanford A	Stanford B	10	10	0	20
CWRU B	Michigan State C	10	10	0	20
Ohio State B	CWRU C	10	10	0	20
Louisville A	Kentucky	10	10	0	20
Michigan A	Louisville C	10	10	10	30
Michigan State B	Michigan B	10	10	0	20
Pittsburgh	Michigan C	0	10	0	10
CWRU D	Michigan D	10	10	0	20
Michigan State A	CWRU A	10	10	10	30
Ohio State C	WVU A	10	10	0	20
JMU A	UNC A	0	10	0	10
Virginia Tech A	JMU B	10	10	0	20
Liberty A	William & Mary C	0	10	0	10
UNC D	Liberty B	0	10	0	10
Liberty C	NCSU A	0	10	0	10
William & Mary A	UNC B	0	10	0	10
Virginia Tech B	UNC C	10	10	0	20
VCU A	NCSU B	0	10	0	10
Virginia Tech C	William & Mary B	0	10	10	20
George Mason C	NYU B	0	10	0	10
Johns Hopkins	Lehigh A	0	10	0	10
Maryland B	Vassar A	10	10	0	20
NYU A	Princeton	10	10	0	20
Penn	Lehigh B	0	10	0	10
Rowan	Columbia A	0	10	0	10
Rutgers D	Columbia B	0	10	0	10
Stony Brook	Rutgers C	0	10	0	10
Vassar B	NYU C	0	10	0	10
Iowa State	Wisconsin A	10	10	0	20
Macalester	Wisconsin C	10	10	0	20
St. Thomas	Minnesota	10	10	0	20
Wisconsin B	Michigan Tech	0	10	0	10
Amherst B	Brandeis Mozart	10	10	0	20
Boston University A	Brandeis Bach	0	10	0	10
Tufts A	Brandeis Beethoven	0	10	0	10
Dartmouth B	Brown A	10	10	0	20
Vermont A	Dartmouth C	0	10	0	10
Southern Connecticut State University A	Harvard	10	10	0	20
Amherst A	MIT B	0	10	0	10
Tufts C	Williams C	0	10	0	10
Williams A	Tufts B	10	10	0	20
MIT A	UConn A	0	10	0	10
Vermont B	Brown B	10	10	0	20
Boston College B	Williams B	0	10	0	10
Louisville D	Ohio State A	0	10	0	10
Alberta B	Arizona State A	10	10	0	20
Central Oklahoma B	Kansas State B	0	10	0	10
Tulsa B	Kansas State A	10	10	0	20
Oklahoma	Murray State College B	0	10	0	10
Nebraska C	Nebraska A	10	10	0	20
Nebraska B	Harding	0	10	0	10
Murray State College A	Rose State	10	10	0	20
Arizona State B	British Columbia A	0	10	10	20
Washington Chinook	British Columbia B	0	10	0	10
Washington Sockeye	Washington Chum	0	10	0	10
Washington Atlantic	Washington Coho	10	10	0	20
Washington State	Washington Masu	0	10	0	10
Boise State	Washington Pink	10	10	0	20
Texas	Washington Steelhead	0	10	0	10
Vanderbilt A	Tennessee Tech	10	10	0	20
Durham B	Edinburgh C	10	10	10	30
Durham C	York	10	10	0	20
Durham D	Sheffield B	0	10	0	10
Durham A	Edinburgh D	10	10	10	30
Sheffield A	Edinburgh B	0	10	0	10
Binghamton A	Rochester	0	10	0	10
Binghamton B	RIT A	0	10	0	10
Cornell A	Binghamton C	0	10	0	10
RIT B	Cornell B	10	10	0	20
Cornell D	Cornell C	0	10	0	10
Alabama A	Auburn A	0	10	0	10
Auburn B	Chipola College	0	10	0	10
Auburn C	Tennessee B	0	10	0	10
Emory A	Clemson B	0	10	0	10
Georgia Tech A	Georgia A	10	10	10	30
Vanderbilt B	Georgia Tech C	0	10	0	10
Vanderbilt C	Georgia Tech D	0	10	0	10
Georgia Tech E	Clemson C	10	10	0	20
Georgia Tech F	Montevallo	0	10	0	10
Clemson A	South Carolina A	0	10	0	10
Tennessee A	Sewanne	10	10	0	20