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: I think i can help you a little, although I : am not quite sure if I'm even on the right : track, because my question was the same. I'll : try to help anyway.Firstly, I think it's a : more personal question, because it asks you : how effective you think the sceptical challenges : are. I think, if we take everything that Descartes : suggests seriously (even his madmen hypothesis : which he dismisses) they are extremely effective. : The Reliability of the Senses causes us to doubt : all knowledge procured through or by the senses. : This challenge and the dreaming argument causes : us to conclude that on any one occion, our : senses may be deceiving. However, the maliciious : demon argument is more extreme and causes us to : doubt ALL knowledge, for it could be that a demon : is controlling and manipulating our every move. : Moving along to the second meditation, we are led : to the certainty that we think, therefore we exist. : However, in the third meditation, the thinker : tries to show God exists, and that, since he is : good and omnipotent, he would never lead us astray : in things that are clear and distinct. However, : I do not see how we can prove that God exists : simply by saying that since we perceive him : clearly and distinctly and innately, that he : exists. You may want to read John Cottingham's : "From Self to God to Knowledge of the World" to : get a clear idea of Descartes argument.Cottingham : also makes the problem of the Cartesian Circle : clear, and is easy to understand. : Anyway, i think that Descartes sceptical arguments : do pose a continuing challenge to our claim that : we have genuine knowledge because he cannot, : without first proving the existence of God, prove : that we have any type of knowledge. I think the : problem of the Cartesian Circle is insoluble, and : that Descartes (in his replies) does not rid : himself of the problem. Without proving God exists, : Descartes cannot prove anything, he cannot even : prove that the senses can be trustes. : Another problem that i have with Descartes is that : he claims that the senses are only deceptive when : things are far away or in the distance, and a : closer look will uncover the deception. However, : how do we know that the closer look isn't a : deception?? How do I know that I am not now in : bed dreaming? You don't know that you are dreaming : until you wake up, so you can never know for sure : if you are dreaming, becuase I could be dreaming : that I am dreaming, and so on. : I think that is about it. I'd appreciate your : thoughts on this anyway. : Thanks, Amanda :

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