The limits of knowledge

Question 1

Global Scepticism

Answer 1

Doubting all knowledge due to possible sceptical scenarios
Eg. Descarte evil demon: an evil demon causes all of your perception and tricks you into believing you’re living in the real world when your not, all your beliefs/perceptions are false you are being tricked by the demon

Question 2

Descarte 1st wave of doubt

Answer 2

Illusion
Descarte can doubt the realiability of his senses as they have decieved him in the past (Pencil in water appears bent) the fact that this can happen is enough evidence to suggest that he should doubt his senses

Question 3

Descarte 2nd wave of doubt

Answer 3

Dreaming
Everything that you perceive can be false, because when dreaming, your perceptions are imaginary and you believe they are real
Descarte argues that basic ideas are common in dreams and reality though: geometry/math, which are the only things that are safe

Question 4

Descarte 3rd wave of doubt

Answer 4

Undermines even the most basic of knowledge. (Doubting everything due to the possibility of an evil demon controlling his experience
Descarte imagines a scenario where an evil demon is able to deceive him about the existence of the physical world and his beliefs
P1-It is possible that there is a demon continuously decieving me and all my perception of the external world and reasoning (eg maths)
P2-In order to know that P, I must rule out the possibility
P3- I can’t rule out this possibility as regardless of it being true or false, my experience/beliefs stay the same
C: Therefore I can’t know anything (global scepticism)

Question 5

Local Scepticism

Answer 5

Suggesting knowledge is impossible within a particular area (eg. religious claims, other minds)
These do not raise doubt about knowledge as a whole, but a certain domain (I dont know if his birthday is on the 17th or 18th)