epistemology - limits of knowledge

Question 1

25 mark plan:
do any arguments successfully defeat global scepticism?

Answer 1

intro: knowledge of external world formed via reliable method, so global scepticism can be defeated.
define: local, global scepticism

para1: descartes 3 waves of doubt (illusion, dreaming, evil demon)
evil demon = causes global scepticism

Descartes response: existence of god (ontological or trademark) good wouldn’t let me be globally decieved

S response: challenges premises, do not prove gods existence. don’t know he exists so not protecting us from deception. (evil demon)

reliablist response: knowledge = true belief formed via rleiable method = my perception is reliable if not being deceived. (water boils at 100c)

conclusion: although descartes fails we can still have knowledge of the external world because knowledge = true belief formed via reliable method. TF we have knowledge of the external world.

Question 2

give the Global scepticism scenarios examples:

Answer 2

• Descartes evil demon
• the matrix
• the simulation hypothesis
• perfect virtual reality
• brain in a vat

Question 3

What is the brain in a Vat scenario?

Answer 3

If all your experience is just electrical signals interpreted by your brain, then you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference if you were disembodied brain in a vat being fed these same electrical signals artificially.
So, you might think “I’m outside walking my dog” but in reality you are just a disembodied brain in a vat, fed electric signals make you feel like your outside walking your dog.
- so belief “I’m outside walking my dog” would be false.

Question 4

scepticism: Descartes evil demon

Answer 4

in cases of ordinary doubt, resolved them by referring to some sort of justification.
But global scepticism e.g evil demon go beyond ordinary doubt cast uncertainty over basic propositions.
If my experience is just an illusion created by an evil demon, then I can’t be trust my calendar - can’t even trust my visual perception.
e.g. “I know Paris is the capital city of France” - nope, evil demon was tricking you. illusion created by demon France + Paris doesn’t exist.
Thus- evil demon casts doubt over everything we ordinary consider to be knowledge.

Question 5

Response to scepticism: Descartes own response to scepticism

Question 6

descartes first wave of doubt- distrust of the senses

Question 7

descartes second wave of doubt- dreaming argument

Question 8

descartes third wave of doubt-the evil demon argument

Question 9

descartes own response to scepticism

Question 10

empiricst responses to sceptiscim- john locke

Question 11

reliablism

Question 12

reliablism argument structure