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Quiz From UCR Philosophy Professor Determines If You Are A Jerk

RIVERSIDE (CBSLA.com) — Wondering if you're a jerk? A UC Riverside philosophy professor has come up with a way to determine your "jerkitude."

Eric Schwitzgebel, a professor of philosophy at UC Riverside, has written a five-question quiz to help determine if you are "someone who culpably fails to appreciate the perspectives of others around him, treating them as tools to be manipulated or fools to be dealt with rather than as moral and epistemic peers," according to a statement from UC Riverside.

There is no official scientific designation that matches the full range of ordinary applications of the term "jerk" to the guy who rudely cuts you off in line, the teacher who casually humiliates the students, or the co-worker who turns every staff meeting into a battle, Schwitzgebel said.

The closest scientific personality category might be a combination of narcissism, Machiavellianism and psychopathic personality.

The quiz describes typical social scenarios and how one might respond. Here's a sample question:

Schwitzgebel says the quiz should be taken for entertainment purposes only and should not be used as a diagnostic measure.

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