Handout 15- Skepticism

Question 0

Argument for Skepticism about the future

Answer 0

1) I don’t know wether a meteorite will hit the Statue of Liberty tonight
2) if (1), then I don’t know whether the Statue of Liberty will be standing tomorrow
3) if I don’t know whether the Statue of Liberty will be standing tomorrow, then no one knows any contingent truth about the future
4) therefore, no one knows any contingent truth about the future

Question 1

Skepticism about x

Answer 1

We do not have (or cannot have) any knowledge about x

Question 2

Argument for Skepticism about the past

Answer 2

1) I can’t prove that the Russell Hypothesis is false
2) if i can’t prove that the Russell Hypothesis is false, then I don’t know that I existed yesterday
3) if I don’t know that I existed yesterday, then no one knows any contingent truth about the past
4) therefore, no one knows any contingent truth about the past.

Question 3

Russell’s Hypothesis

Answer 3

The world sprang into being 5 minutes ago, exactly as it then was, full of misleading acts of “remembering”