The 15 quiz questions
Question 1 : "I think, therefore I am." — Who is the author of this quote?
Possible answers:
- Spinoza
- Leibniz
- Pascal
- Descartes
Explanation: Cogito ergo sum, published in Discourse on the Method (1637), is the foundation of Cartesian philosophy.
Question 2 : "Man is a wolf to man." — Who is the author of this quote?
Possible answers:
- Locke
- Hobbes
- Machiavelli
- Rousseau
Explanation: Homo homini lupus, taken up by Thomas Hobbes in Leviathan (1651), describes the state of nature as a war of all against all.
Question 3 : "Man is by nature a political animal." — Who is the author of this statement?
Possible answers:
- Plato
- Montesquieu
- Aristotle
- Machiavelli
Explanation: Aristote affirme dans sa Politique (IVe siècle av. J.-C.) que l'homme est naturellement fait pour vivre en société. Celui qui ne peut pas vivre en société est soit une bête, soit un dieu.
Question 4 : "God is dead." — Who is the author of this statement?
Possible answers:
- Nietzsche
- Sartre
- Marx
- Heidegger
Explanation: A phrase from The Gay Science (1882) by Friedrich Nietzsche, announcing the end of traditional metaphysical values.
Question 5 : "Hell is other people." — Who wrote this line?
Possible answers:
- Camus
- Beauvoir
- Sartre
- Foucault
Explanation: The final line of the play No Exit (1944) by Jean-Paul Sartre, often misinterpreted as misanthropy.
Question 6 : "I know that I know nothing." — To whom is this phrase attributed?
Possible answers:
- Diogenes
- Aristotle
- Socrates
- Plato
Explanation: A Socratic paradox reported by Plato, foundation of the maieutic method: wisdom begins with recognizing one's own ignorance.
Question 7 : "We must cultivate our garden." — Who wrote this famous conclusion from Candide?
Possible answers:
- Diderot
- Voltaire
- Montesquieu
- La Fontaine
Explanation: Voltaire conclut Candide (1759) par cette phrase célèbre qui invite à se consacrer à des tâches concrètes et utiles plutôt qu'à spéculer sur le mal du monde. C'est une philosophie du travail et de l'action.
Question 8 : "The heart has its reasons which reason knows nothing of." — Who wrote this?
Possible answers:
- Pascal
- La Rochefoucauld
- Montaigne
- Descartes
Explanation: From the Pensées by Blaise Pascal, this phrase distinguishes the logic of feeling from that of the intellect.
Question 9 : "One must imagine Sisyphus happy." — Who is the author?
Possible answers:
- Camus
- Nietzsche
- Sartre
- Kierkegaard
Explanation: The final sentence of The Myth of Sisyphus (1942) by Albert Camus: the absurd does not prevent happiness.
Question 10 : "Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains." — Who wrote this?
Possible answers:
- Rousseau
- Montesquieu
- Diderot
- Voltaire
Explanation: Central idea from the Discourse on the Origin and Basis of Inequality Among Men (1755) by Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
Question 11 : "No man ever steps in the same river twice." — Who is the author?
Possible answers:
- Parmenides
- Democritus
- Thales
- Heraclitus
Explanation: Heraclitus of Ephesus (6th century BC) illustrates the principle of perpetual change (panta rhei).
Question 12 : "The starry heavens above me and the moral law within me." — Who is the author?
Possible answers:
- Hegel
- Schopenhauer
- Leibniz
- Kant
Explanation: Emmanuel Kant clôt sa Critique de la raison pratique (1788) par cette formule qui exprime son émerveillement devant deux mystères : l'univers cosmique et la conscience morale.
Question 13 : "Science without conscience is but the ruin of the soul." — Who wrote this?
Possible answers:
- Montaigne
- Rabelais
- Pascal
- Descartes
Explanation: Advice from Gargantua to Pantagruel in the work of François Rabelais (1532), still relevant in the face of technological excesses.
Question 14 : "What do I know?" — Which philosopher made this question his motto?
Possible answers:
- Montaigne
- Pascal
- La Rochefoucauld
- Diderot
Explanation: Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) adopte cette devise dans ses Essais pour exprimer le scepticisme et l'humilité face à la connaissance. Elle résume sa philosophie du doute.
Question 15 : "Death is nothing to us." — Who is the author of this maxim?
Possible answers:
- Seneca
- Epicurus
- Marcus Aurelius
- Diogenes
Explanation: Épicure (341-270 av. J.-C.) enseigne dans sa Lettre à Ménécée que la mort ne doit pas nous effrayer : quand nous sommes, elle n'est pas ; quand elle est, nous ne sommes plus.
