Are You a Tender-Minded or Tough-Minded Thinker?

William James determined a long time ago that our philosophies are actually a reflection of our own temperaments. People tend towards one of two types of thinking: tender-minded or tough-minded thinking. The compromise between these two thinking styles is known as pragmatism.

This test will aid in deterimining if you are tender-minded, tough-minded, or even pragmatic in you thinking. I hope you enjoy this philosophical quiz!

Created by: Stan

Which best describes your outlook on life?
- Optimistic
- Pessimistic
- Depends on the situation
Do you live by certain principles that never waver under any circumstances, or do you go by the facts of a matter?
- I go by the facts
- That's difficult to answer
- I live by principles
Is there absolute truth?
- Absolutely!
- Doubt it
- Let's measure that on a case-by-case basis
Which best describes how you obtain knowledge?
- It's best for me to experience how things work with my senses
- I can look at something and figure out how it works with my intellect
- I am a mix of the two
Do you believe that all things have a spiritual essence imbued within, or are things no more than their physical qualities?
- I believe everything has a spiritual quality
- Objects are only physical
- That is determined by what the object is
Are you a religious person?
- Yes, I am religious
- No, I am irreligious
- Maybe/I don't know
Do you believe that differences across cultures truly exist, or do many cultures share enough commonalities mean that they all derive from a singular source?
- I believe that differences in cultures exist
- I believe that every culture comes from a singular source
- Arguements can be made for both
Do you believe in fate or free will?
- I believe fate determines everything
- Sometimes choices matter, other times it doesn't matter what you choose
- I believe we have free will
Do you believe that the trueness or falseness of a statement can be clearly verified, or is finding such distinctions quite difficult?
- Every statement is either true or false
- You cannot verify such things so easily
- It depends on the statement
Which best describes how you vote?
- I gather as much data as possible and vote based on my findings
- I research the beliefs of the candidate/political party and vote which aligns most with my values
- I do both
Do you rely on reason as your chief source of knowledge or do you rely on what your senses perceive?
- Reason
- Senses
- A mix
Do you believe in a divine power/god?
- Yes
- No
- Only God knows
Can the ideal society ever exist, or should society work with the resources it has at its disposal?
- We can bring about an ideal society
- We should work with what ever materials we have
- Why not both?
Is there a oneness in everything, or does there exist a plurality?
- There is a oneness
- There are many differences
- Yes
How is the glass of water?
- It's half full
- It's half empty
- It is a glass of water

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