We often think we know something but then it turns out we are wrong. Could you b
We often think we know something but then it turns out we are wrong. Could you be wrong in most of your beliefs about the external world? Consider the possibility that you’re dreaming right now. Or that a powerful evil demon is magically feeding you illusions about everything. Or, that you are a brain in a vat being poked by nefarious space scientists. In any of these scenarios, your sensory experience wouldn’t provide you with any knowledge about the way the world actually is. Given these skeptical scenarios, are you certain that you’re sitting at your computer right now? In the passage of Descartes that we read, he says no, you can’t be certain about this sort of thing because you can’t be sure you’re not in one of these deceptive scenarios. On the other hand, G.E. Moore argues that you can know you have two hands and are at your computer.
If you’re like most people, you know that you aren’t dreaming. How can you convince Descartes that you’re right? Speak to the skeptic for a moment, and give the best argument you can that you aren’t dreaming. After doing this, give a counter-argument, and finally, reply to it.