The Limits Of Knowledge

Question 1

What is Descartes’s response to his evil demon argument?

Answer 1

1. Descartes’ Cogito argument shows that even if he is been deceived by the evil demon, he can at least be certain of the proposition “I exist”
2. Descartes also argues that he can also know that God exists
3. God wouldn’t allow him to be globally deceived, Descartes concludes that he can trust his perceptions, therefore he can trust that the external world exists

Question 2

What is the criticism of Descartes’ response to the evil demon argument?

Answer 2

Descartes’ chain of justification relies on his arguments for God’s existence. However, if we show that argument fail, then the skeptical problem re-emerges and perhaps the evil demon is is causing his perceptions

Question 3

What is Russel’s response to Descartes’ scepticism?

Answer 3

P1. Either
A: the external world exists and causes my perceptions
B: an evil demon exists and causes my perceptions
P2. I can’t prove A or B, therefore I have to treat A and B as hypotheses
P3. A is better explanation of my experience than B
C1. Mind-independent objects exist and cause my perceptions

Question 4

What are 2 Locke’s responses to Descartes scepticism?

Answer 4

1. Perception, unlike imagination, is involuntary — this suggests that perception is caused by something external to my mind
2. My different perceptions e.g sight, vision and sound are coherent — this suggests that there is a common reality that causes all these senses

Question 5

What is a possible objection to Locke’s response?

Answer 5

Even if both Locke’s arguments succeed in proving that something external causes his perceptions, he doesn’t succeed in proving that this perception is in any way an accurate representation of the world. The evil demon might be deceiving him i.e demon might be causing these perceptions, as well as creating coherent experiences — and there is now way you can tell otherwise.

Question 6

What is Berkeley’s response to scepticism?

Answer 6

For Berkeley, what we experience is reality.
Berkeley concludes that God causes his perceptions but, rather than being a deception, those perceptions are just what reality is.

Berkeley argues that objects only exist when they are perceived (“to be is to be perceived”) and Descartes’ scepticism arises because he assumes there is a world behind our perceptions.
By focusing on direct perception, Berkeley avoids the doubts that Descartes raises about the external world.

Question 7

What is the problem with Berkeley’s response?

Answer 7

In order for the view to be true, idealism must be the correct theory of perception — which is problematic (illusions and hallucinations)

Question 8

What is the Reliabilist response to Descartes’ scepticism?

Answer 8

The reliabilist response to Descartes’ scepticism is that knowledge doesn’t require absolute certainty. Instead it depends on whether our beliefs are formed through a reliable process, like perception or memory.
If these processes generally lead to truth, we can trust them, even if we can’t completely rule out the possibility of skeptical scenarios like Descartes evil demon

This shifts focus from needing certainty to trusting reliable methods