Philosophy Quiz

Good Luck!

What’s in the Philosophy Quiz?

Prepare to embark on a journey through the corridors of philosophical thought, where you’ll encounter everything from Plato’s cave to Nietzsche’s moustache! This quiz covers:

  • The great thinkers who shaped human thought (and occasionally got into trouble for it – looking at you, Socrates!)
  • Major philosophical concepts (like epistemology, which is just a fancy way of asking “How do you know what you know?”)
  • Ethical theories (because sometimes “doing the right thing” is more complicated than choosing between cake and vegetables)
  • Famous philosophical works (from people who apparently had a lot of time on their hands)
Philosophy Quiz

As Socrates wisely said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Well, the unexamined quiz isn’t worth taking either! So get ready to dive deep into the world of philosophy, where questions lead to more questions, and sometimes the answer is that there is no answer (how convenient).

Take this quiz if you’ve ever pondered the meaning of life, questioned reality, or just want to impress your friends at dinner parties with random philosophical quotes. As Descartes might say, “I think, therefore I should ace this quiz!” Challenge your friends to see who can channel their inner philosopher best. After all, as the ancient Greeks believed, a little friendly competition never hurt anyone (except maybe Socrates). From the depths of Plato’s cave to the heights of Kant’s categorical imperative, this quiz will test your philosophical mettle. Don’t worry if you don’t get everything right – even the greatest philosophers spent their lives searching for answers! To discover if you’re truly wise (or just think you are), scroll down to see what philosophical conundrums await you below. As Heraclitus might say, “No philosopher ever steps into the same quiz twice!” Check out the questions before you start by clicking Preview Quiz Content at the bottom of the page.

Preview Quiz Content

This section contains all of the questions that could be a part of this quiz. The quiz will choose 15 random questions from the pool below. If you've found this section feel free to take a look but to start the quiz you should press "Start Quiz". You may also be thinking that some information is missing for some of the below questions and you'd be right! The answers listed below only contain answers that appear in the quiz, so as a hypothetical example, if a question asks about which philosopher would win in a footrace between Plato and Aristotle, and 4 options are given in the question, only the correct answer will appear in the below information. This is because this supplemental information is about the quiz itself and not intended as a comprehensive list. We hope you found the quiz to be entertaining and informative. If you haven't taken it yet, Good Luck!

Q1: Who is known as the father of Western philosophy?

A1: Socrates

Q2: Which are branches of philosophy?

A2: Metaphysics, Epistemology

Q3: What is the study of knowledge called?

A3: Epistemology

Q4: Which philosopher wrote "The Republic"?

A4: Plato

Q5: Which are utilitarian philosophers?

A5: Jeremy Bentham, John Stuart Mill

Q6: What is the term for the philosophical study of beauty?

A6: Aesthetics

Q7: Which philosopher is famous for the statement "I think, therefore I am"?

A7: René Descartes

Q8: What is the main focus of existentialism?

A8: Individual freedom and choice

Q9: Which are ethical theories?

A9: Deontology, Utilitarianism

Q10: Which philosopher is associated with the concept of the "categorical imperative"?

A10: Immanuel Kant

Q11: Which are forms of logical fallacies?

A11: Ad Hominem, Straw Man

Q12: What does the term "ontology" refer to in philosophy?

A12: The study of being and existence

Q13: Who authored "Thus Spoke Zarathustra"?

A13: Friedrich Nietzsche

Q14: What is the philosophical study of moral values and rules called?

A14: Ethics

Q15: Which are ancient Greek philosophers?

A15: Socrates, Aristotle

Q16: What is the philosophical term for the study of the nature of reality?

A16: Metaphysics

Q17: Which philosophers are associated with existentialism?

A17: Jean-Paul Sartre, Friedrich Nietzsche

Q18: What is "Dualism" in philosophy?

A18: The belief that reality consists of two fundamental substances

Q19: Which are notable works by Immanuel Kant?

A19: Critique of Pure Reason, Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals

Q20: What does "a priori" knowledge refer to?

A20: Knowledge independent of experience

Q21: Which philosopher is known for the concept of "Übermensch"?

A21: Friedrich Nietzsche

Q22: What is the main idea of utilitarianism?

A22: The greatest happiness for the greatest number

Q23: Which philosopher is associated with the idea of "the veil of ignorance"?

A23: John Rawls

Q24: What is "phenomenology" in philosophy?

A24: The study of structures of consciousness

Q25: Which are concepts in Aristotle's philosophy?

A25: The Four Causes, Virtue Ethics

Q26: What is "determinism" in philosophy?

A26: The belief that all events are determined by prior causes

Q27: Which philosopher is known for "Being and Time"?

A27: Martin Heidegger

Q28: Which are principles of Kantian ethics?

A28: Act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law, Treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of another, always as an end and never as a means only

Q29: What is "solipsism"?

A29: The belief that only one's own mind is sure to exist

Q30: Which philosopher is associated with the idea of "the social contract"?

A30: Jean-Jacques Rousseau