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Can Skepticism Be Defended, Perhaps In A Limited Form? - School Essays

Can Skepticism Be Defended, Perhaps In A Limited Form?


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1. Introduction
This essay centres around what it means to know something is true and also why
it is important to distinguish between what you know and do not or can not know.

The sceptic in challenging the possibility of knowing anything challenges the
basis on which all epistemology is based. It is from this attack on epistemology
that the defence of scepticism is seen.

2. Strong Scepticism

Strong scepticism states that it is not possible to know anything. That is we
cannot have absolute knowledge of anything. This can however immediately have
the reflexive argument turned on it and have the question begged of it: “If it
is not possible to know anything then how is it you know that ...

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for someone to believe in something they must also believe that it is
true. If they did not believe that it was true then what is mentioned above
would not occur.

So, so far it is decided that knowledge should be true belief. How does one come
to the conclusion that something is true however ?. We seek justification. The
justification really is the most important part of the criteria because without
it one cannot say something is true and therefore cannot say that one believes.

This does however bring up the question of how does something become justified ?,
do we hear it from other people ?, see it on the news ?. The justification of
something really depends on its predictability. If something becomes predictable
then it can becomes justified aswell. For example, I know that the sun will rise
tomorrow is a fair thing to say because I believe this is so, I believe this is
true, and I am justified in believing this due to my past experience* of the
predictableness of the sun ...

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involves an
imaginary situation where the people or person involved believes that they have
knowledge (Plato, Cave Analogy, Book VII).

In the brain in the vat example the brain believes that it is a fully
functioning human being and there exists an external world around it. The reason
for the brain believing that it knows this is that it has reasonable belief due
to the fact that everything in it's environment coheres, this is obviously not
so however if everything does not cohere (Harrison, 1966-67, pp 179-189).

The sceptical argument from this however is that it is impossible to know
anything if one does not know the initial fact that one is a brain in a vat.
This can be shown as ...

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Can Skepticism Be Defended, Perhaps In A Limited Form?. (2004, May 13). Retrieved December 23, 2024, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Can-Skepticism-Defended-Perhaps-Limited-Form/7758
"Can Skepticism Be Defended, Perhaps In A Limited Form?." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 13 May. 2004. Web. 23 Dec. 2024. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Can-Skepticism-Defended-Perhaps-Limited-Form/7758>
"Can Skepticism Be Defended, Perhaps In A Limited Form?." Essayworld.com. May 13, 2004. Accessed December 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Can-Skepticism-Defended-Perhaps-Limited-Form/7758.
"Can Skepticism Be Defended, Perhaps In A Limited Form?." Essayworld.com. May 13, 2004. Accessed December 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Can-Skepticism-Defended-Perhaps-Limited-Form/7758.
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PAPER DETAILS
Added: 5/13/2004 05:16:18 PM
Category: Miscellaneous
Type: Free Paper
Words: 2130
Pages: 8

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